MEATH’s Joy Murray and Bee Smooth nearly had it all their own way at the AIRC Festival in Mullingar on Saturday, progressing to the supreme championship for the Carl Geisler memorial trophy as Ring 2 champions.

First of all, they won their lightweight cob class and then took the section title ahead of the maxi class winners, Mullingar’s Ciaran Rossiter and the 11-year-old piebald gelding Johnstown Boy. The heavyweight class was won by Clonshire’s Leahane Porter on her 10-year-old black gelding Jimmy Hairey.

Also through to the Ring championship were the coloured champion and reserve Headfort’s Lynsey Rogers and the 2008 Irish Sport Horse gelding Oreo Lad, a piebald son of Castleforbes Noe, and Burren’s Sarah Jayne Whelan and her 2014 piebald gelding Quidproquo. This pair had finished in reverse order in their over 158cms class.

The Headfort club was also represented in the Ring decider by the veteran horse champion, Zoe Grogan and her 2003 Belgium Warmblood gelding Diabolo da la Coeur, a son of Lambada van Berkenbroeck, winners of the 18 to 20-year-old class. Westport’s Isobel Lee topped the final line-up in the 21-year-olds and upwards class with her 2001 bay gelding Flin whose excellent show included being reserve veteran champion.

Kilcarrick’s Pauline Donovan progressed to the Ring championship as winner of the side-saddle class on her traditionally-bred 2005 ISH gelding Porthall Pearl Stone (by Porthall Leo) as did Cheval’s Sandra Hannigan, winner of the show’s four-year-old class on her ISH gelding Yukon Cristo who was to stand reserve to Bee Smooth in the Ring 2 championship.

“I’m delighted with my horse’s results,” said Hannigan who bred the Cristo bay out of Premier Daisy Darco (by Darco). “He is entered for the Flavours of Fingal Show (July 1st and 2nd) and will go to Dublin for the four-year-old middleweight class. He’s popping around working hunter and Derby tracks and is competing in young horse dressage where he has won and been placed. He also won at the Northern Ireland Festival.

“I would love to see someone produce him on the working hunter circuit or in dressage. He will be for sale after Dublin – or before if someone is interested. I jump his six-year-old Namelus R half-sister Yukon Clover who won here and at the AIRC national show jumping championships last year. They have a half-brother by Sligo Candy Boy, who is eventing in England, a two-year-old half-sister by Lucarelli and a yearling half-brother by Vittorio.”

While Hannigan knows all about the pedigree of Yukon Cristo, Murray knows very little about her bay gelding Bee Smooth who was to end the day as reserve supreme champion to Vanity Flare.

“He’s 11 now and I bought him as a six-year-old from Denis Cummins in Wexford as a hunter,” said Murray who hunts with Ward Union. “I was at the Cheval grounds one day for a lesson when Kevin McGuinness saw the horse and said that he was a cob and that I should take the mane off him. I did, and while I continue to hunt him, he has hardly ever been out of the ribbons.

“He was champion cob here last year and was fourth in a large lightweight class at Balmoral in May. He is going to the Showing Show of the Year at Mullingar (today) and then the Tattersalls Ireland July Show. I haven’t decided yet about Dublin,” said Murray who travelled on her own to the show as husband Derek took their two sons, Ross (11) and J.P. (8) to football.

Joy has recently started working as a therapeutic riding coach. She has three suitable cobs and one small pony at her home in Ardcath where she is relieved at the weekends by Paula McCabe. Event rider Jo Andrews assists Joy with all the horses.