ORGANISERS, competitors and spectators alike are hoping that the weather is on its best behaviour for the four-day Balmoral Show which, in partnership with Ulster Bank, opens next Wednesday, May 10th, at Balmoral Park outside Lisburn.

This year, non-exhibitors can once again pay for entry at the gate each day to Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event. However, the general public is being encouraged to pre-book via the website to avail of pre-show prices and to avoid queues. Should you do so, tickets must be printed out at home or shown on your mobile phone.

The highlight of the six international show jumping competitions is Friday afternoon’s Grand Prix which was won last May by Niamh McEvoy on Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick. Next week, the Omagh rider returns to defend her title but, on this occasion, will be competing the eight-year-old MB Lorenzo R and the 11-year-old Haifa OL. “They’re both a bit green at this level but we’ll try!” said McEvoy. As usual, combinations have pre-qualified for the four national horse classes, the inter-schools’ competition and the equally exciting Under 10s’ class.

One horse returning to the showgrounds in a bid to complete a double in the Main Arena is Carol Gee’s highly-regarded Fernhill Count On Me. The Chacoa bay won the Gibson Equine Haylage ‘Balmoral Star Of The Future’ performance horse championship for five-year-olds last season in the hands of Luca Bortolamei. Having qualified again at Wexford Equestrian, he is set to start in the six and seven-year-old championship next Friday morning under Fraser Duffy.

The five qualifiers were all judged by Gillian Kyle but Lt Col Tom Freyne, Officer Commanding of the Army Equitation School, is taking over that role for these two finals.

As this show comes so early in the season, it’s impossible to know what young horses remain in the country from last year. We do know however that Co Wicklow owner/producers Daphne Tierney and Jane Bradbury plan to exhibit the lightweight three-year-old Bloomfield Silverado on Wednesday. This OBOS Quality 004 grey is a full-brother to the heavyweight Bloomfield Distinction who was supreme champion hunter here in 2021 and reserve supreme at Dublin last August.

While they are entered, Bradbury suggested Tierney’s two ridden hunters won’t be meeting their engagements next Wednesday as they are both a bit behind in their work. One gelding who showed his wellbeing at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan last weekend, where he was crowned supreme champion ridden horse, is the Jamie Smyth-ridden and produced Bannside Dancer. This Legaland Darco II bay won his four-year-old lightweight geldings’ class at Dublin last August when he went on to be reserve champion lightweight and reserve champion four-year-old.

Up for the challenge

On a high since Punchestown last Friday (see Pony Tales on page 107), loyal Balmoral supporter, John Roche, is heading up from Co Wexford with Assagart Hopeful, a three-year-old Castleforbes Lord Lancer full-sister to Assagart Lord Lancer with whom he won the supreme youngstock championship at the 2017 Dublin Horse Show.

Roche is also going to exhibit two broodmares on Wednesday, the six-year-old Coroner bay Assagart Faithfully, who won the Limerick Lady in 2019, and her year-older full-sister, Assagart Harmony, who was a winner at three. With first foals at foot, these two mares are out of Assagart Saviour (by Flagmount King).

Not confining himself to in-hand classes, Roche is also exhibiting another home-bred, Assagart Hope And Glory, in the six-year-old and upwards Irish Draught performance class on Thursday morning. The grey Lansdown mare, who will be ridden by Diarmuid Ryan, will face a strong rival in last year’s champion, Gneeve King William.

Ridden by Jane Williams for her husband Ian, that nine-year-old Treanlaur Rocky gelding has an excellent record not only in performance classes but also on the flat as he showed when initiating the double here last May.

Another winner returning to the Main Arena on Thursday, but at the later hour of 5.45pm, is Jayne McConnell’s Easy Pleased who claimed the 2022 racehorse to riding horse class under the owner’s daughter Felicity.

The now six-year-old Mahler gelding had a long break from the end of last summer until the turn of the year since when he has been doing lots of dressage and has been competing at some small jumping shows, growing in confidence all the time. “Getting out eventing is my aim with him once my AS level exams are over,” said McConnell junior. “I haven’t done much showing with him since our win last year but Balmoral is such a great opportunity that I would hate to miss it.”

Primed to challenge Easy Pleased for the title is Seainin Mahon’s General Principle whose hugely successful 2022 season was topped by his win in the racehorse to riding horse class at the Dublin Horse Show. Last weekend, the 14-year-old Gold Well gelding finished second in a similar class at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan.

The usual full programme of horse and pony classes, both on the flat and in performance competitions, is listed in the timetable on this page.

All the action from the Main Arena will be live-streamed each day on the Balmoral Show website. This will include the spectacular parade of prize-winning cattle at 3.45pm on Saturday afternoon following which the champion of champions, from each sector of the show, will be judged. Last May, this was won for the first time by the champion donkey, Suzanne Truesdale’s Ratallagh Pablo.