THE Irish Pony Society season on the east coast concluded last Sunday, with a hunter pony show at Barnadown where a new trophy, the Tiggy Hancock Memorial Cup, was presented to the winner of the performance hunter championship.

As it was, judge Marion Condron was unable to decide between Aisford Alfie (Millie Dalton), who won both the 50cm and the 60cm classes, and the 80cm winner, Fontmell Jack Sparrow (Rosita Dunne), and so the cup presented in the memory of their much-missed daughter by Frank and Jane Hancock will reside for six months of the year with the Dalton family in Co Carlow and for six months with the Dunnes in Co Meath.

Aisford Alfie, who has 72 ShowJumping Ireland points to his credit, is a 122cm 13-year-old chesnut gelding with no recorded pedigree, while the 133cm cream gelding Fontmell Jack Sparrow, who is registered with the Welsh Cob and Pony Society, is a nine-year-old by Carrwood out of the Fontmell Race Against Time mare, Fontmell Joie de Vivre.

Joanne Quirke judged the working hunters and Derby classes over well-praised tracks and her novice working hunter champion was the 153cm class winner, Krafty Tim Hunt, who was ridden by Co Waterford’s Conor Cusack for his mother Cheryl. In their class, and the novice championship, Cusack and the six-year-old Krafty Clover gelding stood ahead of the Mary McDonnell-owned, Jessica Murphy-ridden Hillview Royal Meelin.

At open level, it was a different matter with Highview Royal Meelin winning the 153cm class (where Cusack and Krafty Tim Hunt finished third) and then claiming the top honours in the championship, where Nancy Lyons Teehan was beckoned into the reserve slot with Newydd Lady Marmalade, an 11-year-old chesnut daughter of Penbee Starlight Express, who had finished second in her 143cm class.

Murphy and the six-year-old bay gelding Highview Royal Meelin also won the ridden Mountain and Moorland championship, where Mai Monahan stood reserve on her mother Penny’s Carrickfad Cloud Break, on whom she had won the Connemara class for riders up to and including 16 years of age.

This 11-year-old Castle Gigolo grey, who was bred by George Draper out of Miss Murphy II, by Drumlane Warrior, and his young rider are also well-known for their performances under Dressage Ireland rules.

On a busy day for Murphy and Highview Royal Meelin, they had a slight reverse in the Derby championship having earlier finished second in the 153cm class to Lily Mai Walsh and Chapel Hill Chino, her six-year-old grey gelding by Krafty Clover.

The tricoloured sash in this Brahams of Buckingham-sponsored section was presented to Co Cork’s Roisin Lucey riding her mother Norma’s seven-year-old skewbald gelding Brandonwell Jack, winner of the 143cm class.

Traditional champion

There was a surprisingly poor entry in the show hunter pony classes. These were judged by Tony Ennis, whose champion was the 153cm class winner, the traditionally-bred Dernahatten Grey Mist, who was ridden by Co Meath’s Charlotte Cully for her mother Buddy, a combination who won the novice working hunter title here last season.

This 11-year-old grey gelding by Dunbeggan Grey Mist was bred in Co Monaghan by Padraig McKernan out of the Connemara mare Banagher Victory (by Cloughill Island). The aforementioned Creganna Dancer and Amber Lane stood reserve here, having won the 133cm class.

All judges said they were impressed with the standard of their respective mini classes and, at this level, the overall champions were Fiona Goor’s Lane-partnered 20-year-old Rotherwood Statesman gelding Barkway State Affair, a combination which has represented Ireland in dressage and here came from the show hunter section, and the mini champion Cwmllynfell Ballerina.

The latter, who progressed from the ridden Mountain and Moorland section where she won the lead rein class, was ridden by Isla Milne for her mother Rozie Syme.

There was a disappointing entry for the in-hand classes, where Rachel Hamilton Bennett’s champion was the youngstock winner, Peter Byrne’s much-beribboned Wyndham By The Way.