THERE are plenty of people who have owned horses and ponies for years and have very little luck. Then you have those like Daryl Curran whose first pony in his own name, Caherpuca Chappy, has done him proud since being purchased in 2023, continuing that trend at last week’s Balmoral Show where he completed a North Down Marquees Connemara flat/performance championship double under the owner’s daughter, Amira.

Curran won a ridden class on the Michael and Kendra Rabbitte-bred grey at Dublin in 2023, when they went reserve champion, while they landed the flat title here last season. This year, of course, combinations had to qualify for both the ridden and working hunter Connemara classes and Curran bagged her two tickets at Duffy’s Equestrian Centre in mid-March. Caherpuca Chappy is an eight-year-old by Coolin America out of Loughfadda Darling, by Rebel Justice.