WITH Gortfree Hero bowing out after last year’s victory in the parkbytext-sponsored Irish Draught stallion class, Sean Barker’s hopes now lie with Gortfree Lakeside Lad, the versatile son of his three-time champion sire. However, it’s shaping up to another wide-open class and Jimmy Quinn, home for the Horse Show from his Shanghai business partnership has a strong cast entered from Cappa Stud again, including triple champion Cappa Cassanova, his son Cappa Dianthus and the 2017 winner, Cappa Aristocrat.

Drumhowan Stud is another great supporter of this class and sends up three of its resident stallions, including Joanne Maguire and John Bracken’s Crosstown Dancer-sired Scrapman, Matt Loughnane’s distinctive roan Dunsandle Diamond and David & Niamh Doyle’s Cloncastle Silver Squire.