Youngstock classes

THERE is a large drop in entries for the youngstock classes which will commence in Horse Ring 2 on Wednesday as soon as the mares and foals depart.

The drop is most notable in the yearling classes which will be the first to come before Richard and Philip Ramsay. While the number of colts and geldings catalogued has just gone from eight in 2019 to six this time around, the number of fillies entered have plummeted from 18 to three who are all home-bred.

There are five home-breds in the colts and geldings’ class, the odd-ones out being Lesley-Ann Duke’s TC’s Top Notch, a grey colt by the Irish Sport Horse stallion Prince Amiro, and Dorothy Walsh’s The Right Choice, a traditionally bred bay gelding by the thoroughbred Frammassone.

Four of the six geldings in the Fautras Horse Trailers-sponsored two-year-old section are home-bred including Co Wicklow exhibitors Daphne Tierney and Jane Bradbury’s Bloomfield Breagura. This bay by Dignified van’t Zorgvliet is out of the unraced Katoda (by Indian Danehill), dam of the Silvano mare Ballinclare who is being campaigned as a hack in Britain.

There should be plenty of interest in the fillies’ class as the five entries comprise a rare thoroughbred in Karen Johnston’s Memphis Kate (by El Salvador), Bridin McGarrigle’s home-bred chesnut whose sire, Primary, now stands close to Balmoral at Tullyraine House, John Roche’s Assagart Flare (by Castle Forbes Lord Lancer) and two fillies by popular eventing sires, Esther Skelly-Smith’s Shanaghan Shining Lights of Aurora (by Centre Stage) and Eddie Wright’s bay daughter of OBOS Quality 004.

3YO division

In the three-year-old division, the medium/heavyweight gelding numbers have held up reasonably well, as have those in the fillies’ class, but there are only three lightweight geldings entered.

The trio are owned by southern exhibitors, Regina Daly and Patrick O’Sullivan, and Co Down’s Charlotte Kirkpatrick who will be hoping to fend off their challenge with Redwood Guy, a brown son of Loughehoe Guy.

Daly, who won the youngstock championship here in 2019 with her Chillout grey Waters Meet, will be hoping to hold on to the title with another son of the same sire, Say No More, winner of the all-Ireland three-year-old horse class at Charleville last month. O’Sullivan has entered Leap Future Two, a Future Trend half-brother to the Carlo Bank gelding Lismakeera Brewski (CCI4*-S).

Among the entries in the medium/heavyweight geldings’ class is John Roche’s home-bred Assagart Hopes And Desires, a son of Castle Forbes Lord Lancer who was second to Say No More at Charleville. Here, Charlotte Kirkpatrick has entered Redwood Bear, a bay by Barely A Moment out of Kilnamac Katie, a Ricardo Z half-sister to the Lux Z gelding Lissyegan Rory (CCI4*-L) from the family of the great Electric Cruise.

Silent Valley, who was reserve champion yearling here in 2019, returns to the scene of her greatest triumph to date as one of the 10 fillies catalogued. However, then owned by Co Down’s Ann Lyons, the Tolan R filly is being exhibited next week by Co Cork’s Aidan Williamson.

She will again be opposed by Shirley Hurst’s home-bred Tattygare It’s All About Me (by Arkan), Valerie McCallister’s Crannaghmore Elusive Lady (by Elusive Emir) and Pat Martin’s Sister Act (by Emperor Augustus).