THE Breeders’ Championship format and qualifying dates have changes this year, which met with a lukewarm response from some exhibitors. Lack of consultation before making significant changes to the Breeders’ Championship and concerns over travelling younger foals to earlier than usual qualifiers were key issues highlighted. The RDS explained the changes (see panel).
Historically, six Dublin qualifiers are held for the Breeders’ Championship. Armagh, Athlone, Charleville, Cork, Gorey and West Clare hosted last year’s qualifiers throughout June and early July. Due to the Tokyo Olympics, Dublin switched to a mid-July date (15th-19th), this sees earlier qualifying dates and change of host shows for 2020.
Four qualifiers will take place at Newmarket-on-Fergus (May 3rd), Athenry and Midleton (May 24th) and Lurgan (June 6th). With Athenry and Midleton clashing, this effectively means three qualifiers for most owners. All the exhibitors spoken to are familiar with Dublin’s July date and acknowledge they will miss out if they have late foals in Olympic years.
For them, it is more the welfare issue of travelling younger foals to fewer and earlier qualifiers. The compromise of two qualifiers in a central location in mid-June for future Olympic years was also suggested.
Another suggestion was the same European judges should judge both the qualifiers and final, as is the case with the three-year-old performance classes.
Several of last year’s top-placed mares have already been ruled out, including Martin Murphy’s third-placed mare Castlemeadow Mildred, due to foal in May. Three other top-10 mares are not in foal this year, including Liam Lynskey’s 10th-placed Kioletta M, who will be produced under saddle instead.
It remains to be seen if the reigning winning dam, Patrick Wafer’s Parkmore Evita will defend her title. “It will be tight this year if she goes over,” said his nephew Maurice about her later foaling date in 2020.
Change and fresh blood is good. However, the perception is that by trying to attract more performance mare owners, who historically haven’t supported the class in any great number, to enter the Breeders’ Championship, other long-standing exhibitors are being edged out.
Earlier shows traditionally attract few broodmare and foal entries. Last year, Balmoral had a total of eight entries in its broodmare classes and no foal entries at its show in mid-May. Newmarket-on-Fergus has not featured broodmare or foal classes in its schedule due to its early May Bank Holiday date, while Athenry and Midleton, two other shows to benefit by hosting qualifiers this year, typically have just a handful of foal entries.
A three-week-old foal is the minimum rule of thumb at shows. Some UK breed societies increase that to four and five weeks, depending on the society rules, while foals had to be a minimum of six weeks old to be shown in the Horse Sport Ireland foal championship final.
Merit in final split
Frequent exhibitors had no issue with another change which now allows a maximum of two combinations (mare and foal) per exhibitor.
“I don’t really have a problem with it. It takes a lot of work to get mares and foals ready, to find handlers. That’s not really a big issue for me,” said John Roche, who has retired his and mother Mary’s two-time champion (2014, 2017) winning dam Assagart My Only Hope.
Again, the majority of exhibitors saw the merit in splitting the final into show jumping and eventing foal categories, believing that a ‘one size fits all’ approach no longer works in horse-breeding.
Their concern was more the lack of advance notice about this move nine weeks before the first qualifier.
A recent change to the wording of the Dublin yearling class has raised some eyebrows. While the traditional wording for two-and three-year-old lightweight and heavyweight classes remains the same, the criteria for the yearling classes is now is for a performance animal likely to make a five-star show jumper or eventer.
Several exhibitors enquired whether the RDS would have different judges for the yearling and older youngstock.
Another concern is that the changed format and current levels of prize money will have a knock-on effect for the regular broodmare and foal classes on Saturday morning. The absence of both a foal championship – “there’s one for Irish Draught foals” – and the thoroughbred-sired foal class was also noted.
The TB-sired foal class was dropped from last year’s schedule and instead, a matching €5,000 prize fund was split between the three highest-placed foals, with a minimum of 60% thoroughbred blood, in the Breeders’ Championship.
Of last year’s 18 qualified foals, eight were eligible for this bonus, with three having the minimum percentage (60.1%, 60.2% and 60%) to qualify.
Prize fund boost
Conversely, the RDS has doubled the prize fund for this year’s ridden hunter classes to €49,000. Last week’s press release outlined that the “RDS is committed to further develop the ridden flat classes and will consult widely after this year’s Dublin Horse Show to further develop this sector.”
Breeders’ Championship qualifiers usually attract between six to 10 entries so it remains to be seen what impact, if any, an earlier qualifying season will have on numbers or whether an increased focus on performance will bring out new faces in 2020.
The RDS explains the Breeders’ Championship changes
Q. The decision to change the format was made presumably by the Equestrian Committee, when was this decision made? And what was the purpose, ie, to clearly identify future marketplaces for foals?
“The Equestrian Committee, with the advice of its Showing Working Group, made the decision to divide the Breeders’ Championship into the two classes earlier this year. The decision was made with a view to identifying and promoting future performance horses who are commercial. Research shows that horses coming through the Dublin Horse Show three-year-old performance, and other young horse performance classes, are more competitive in later life and more saleable than those produced through the Breeders’ Championship, which has been disappointing in this regard to date.
Q. Some exhibitors say there was no consultation beforehand with them about the changes. Can you confirm this?
“When Horse Sport Ireland ran its International Breeding Conference at the end of 2018, the key message was the need for more blood in the Irish Sport Horse herd if we are to keep producing event horses for top level sport. The Committee made the decision to develop the Breeders’ Championship on this basis, and following much discussion and consultation with Horse Sport Ireland on the matter throughout 2019 some directional changes were put in place for the 2019 Show in terms of providing special prizes for the three highest placed foals with over 60% blood in their pedigree. The developments for this year’s Show are an incremental progression in response to the need for a specialist breeding programme for the different FEI disciplines.
Q. Would it have been possible to hold the qualifiers in June?
“As the Show will take place a month earlier this year, from the 15th to the 19th of July, due to the Tokyo Olympics, all the qualifiers have been brought forward. We have held Breeders’ Championship qualifiers early in the season previously, and while it is expected that entries will be affected to some extent due to the date change, the majority of foals exhibited in the Championship are born in March and April and should therefore be forward enough to be shown. Entries for the Show will close on the 8th of June and it is important for breeders and spectators that full entry details and pedigrees are available in the Show catalogue.
Q. Is the thoroughbred-sired foal class now defunct?
“While there is no longer a class specifically for foals by a thoroughbred sire, within the new Breeders’ Championship format, exhibitors have increased breeding options to obtain a high percentage of blood in the foal’s pedigree whilst also retaining performance genetics. And, these foals with over 60% thoroughbred blood will be eligible to share in a potential prize fund of €11,200, which is significantly more than was previously on offer for foals by a thoroughbred sire.’’
WHAT THEY SAID:
“The way the horse industry is going, dividing the class is not without logic but I’m disappointed that Leinster has no qualifier which leaves long journeys for foals on this side of the country!” – Julia Crosbie.
“My motto is why fix something that isn’t broken. The top jumping men are not going to bring their mares out. I had to change my breeding regime [choosing continental stallions] and I do regret it a bit now” – John Roche.
“Travelling three and a half hours there and back to qualifiers is stressful on very young foals. There should be less combinations qualifying and more qualifying venues or shows” – Derry Rothwell.