THE year 2024 has been quite a life-changing one for John Roche, who switched from dairy farming on his Foulksmill farm to a driver job with racehorse trainer Joseph O’Brien.

The Wexford family have now won an eighth Coote Cup title after the home-bred Assagart Fairytale repeated her broodmare championship win of 12 months ago.

“She’s a proper Irish three-quarter bred out of an Irish Draught-thoroughbred cross, which we don’t have any more. They’re just dying out,” Roche said afterwards about the Coroner nine-year-old out of Assagart Sapphire (Flagmount King).

“She’ll go to Limerick, Piltown and that’s it for the year. She went to Balmoral, qualified at Lurgan for the Breeders’, did Adamstown and Bannow and Rathangan. Last week, she was the Brian Boru champion at Clarecastle, which I had to support because Michael [Slattery] is such a patriarch of the game. You have to bring the best of the best to his show.”

Assagart Fairytale won the lightweight broodmare class, ahead of Teresa and William Williamson’s Ballard Jewel (Ghareeb) and Yvonne Pearson’s 2024 Balmoral champion Kief Queen B (Munther).

In the opening middle/heavyweight class, there was another Dublin win for John McDonnell’s CBI Ice Queen after her success in The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship the previous day.

Second was Danielle Cusack’s Ballydurn Taylor, reserve in the Breeders’ Championship eventing section. Taking third place in this opening broodmare class was Assagart Fairytale’s stable companion, Assagart Velvet (Colin Diamond).

Aileen Dwyer’s Vanity Flare, shown by Grainne McParland, the Coote Cup reserve champion broodmare at the 2024 Dublin Horse Show \ Susan Finnerty

Stinted

From the stinted broodmare class, both the winner, Aileen Dwyer’s Vanity Flare and second-placed Assagart Harmony, another of Roche’s Coroner mares, went forward to the Plusvital-sponsored championship.

Third in this class was last year’s reserve champion: Liam Lynskey’s DS Bounce With Me Baby (Moylough Bouncer). “Next year, I’m going to ask Rhasidat Adeleke to show her!” Lynskey quipped.

Both foals from the top mares in the middle/heavyweight mare class - McDonnell’s Nice Queen and Cusack’s Brittas Monte Cristo - won their filly and colt classes respectively.

“I’ve a work trip this week, but hopefully the lads can bring her to Moate,” McDonnell said about his Vancouver filly, qualified for tomorrow’s A. Browne All-Ireland filly foal final.

Brittas Monte Cristo (Clonaslee Captain Cristo) recently won the Ennis Municipal Authority All-Ireland colt foal final at Clarecastle. In the third foal class, for foals with a thoroughbred parent, the €3,000 winner was Declan Daly’s colt Hayfield Flash (Zebediah), ahead of Richard Drohan’s Island Commander and Paula Howard’s Sir Lando colts.

An overall foal championship is still lacking in Saturday’s schedule.

For the broodmare title, Assagart Fairytale and Vanity Flare were called forward as Michael Maryan and Stuart Campbell’s champion and reserve.

First red

According to the judges, it was Assagart Fairytale’s substance and movement that won out in the championship, over the “very neat” Vanity Flare. “The colt foal winner was very mature and the filly [winner] was lovely, perfect.”

It was a first Dublin red for Vanity Flare’s winning owner Aileen Dwyer, who had Grainne McParland show the nine-year-old thoroughbred, while she warmed up Peter Roe’s Hollymount Dream for the Racehorse to Riding Horse class.

By Robin Des Pres, Vanity Flare is in foal to the Irish Draught stallion Ludden Skywalker. “I worked full-time in racing for over a decade for the Codd family in Wexford, but I’m based back on the home farm in Offaly now and employed by Agrihealth and Mackey Equestrian... a sensible office job now!” Aileen said.

Does Roche miss dairying? “No, not one bit. I have more time for the kids and family life, that’s more important.”