THE Connemara Ridden classes commenced at 8am on the second day of the Dublin Horse Show with the class for four and five-year-old mares and geldings.
Judged by Mr Darrell Scaife and Ms Sarah Bullen, they awarded the red rosette to Killeagh, Co Cork owner and chairperson of the Southern Breeders Connemara Group, Joan Vaughan, for her all-rounder grey mare Boaring Cruise (Doonhill Playboy - Cullaneen Tess) ridden by Sarah Connell from Tallow and bred by Maurice Heeran from Co Leitrim.
Jackie and Lisa Hockley’s Cnoc-A-Dtua Ard Ri (Frederiksminde Hazy Match - Dancing Colleen) stood second, ahead of Margaret Gorton’s Castle Dartagnan (Monaghanstown Boy – Castle Pearl) ridden by Catherine Gorton in third.
There was a popular winner of the the mares and geldings six years and over class, with riders under the age of 17, as the great favourite and home-bred 10-year-old gelding Creganna Dandini (Cashelbay Prince - Prospect Suzy), owned by Marjorie Hardiman from Oranmore Co Galway, moved fluently throughout the class when ridden by Jane Field.
Hardiman who travels all over Ireland to support shows said: “It is so special to win in Dublin, the last time was in 1984 with Pat Angus and we will continue our campaign all year.”
The seven year old gelding Ballylee Castle Prince (Slackport Prince - Killoughter Jug) owned by Aoife O’Connor from New Inn, Co Tipperary, and bred by Declan Flynn from Annaghadown was awarded the blue.
After some deliberation the judges selected the winner of the ridden stallions as the well-bred Tim An Ri (Glencarrig Lexus - Bunowen Castle Queen) who is owned by the popular Joan Dolan who bought him as a foal in Clifden mart. Dolan has produced many of the famous Kilpatrick ponies at Ballymore Eustace in Co Kildare.
Bred by Feichin and Kerry King from Bunowen, Ballyconneely, the 11-year-old came to Dublin fresh from winning at the Midlands show and he was ridden in style by Alicia Devlin Byrne. Robbie Fallon and Michael Harty’s Cashelbay Rocket (Cashelbay Cruise - Cashelbay Misty) came second, ahead of Cian Geoghegan’s Blakehill Prince (Rebel Star - Gloves Doreen) third.
It was the class for mares and geldings six years and over with the rider over 17 that produced the eventual champion ridden pony – the 10-year-old gelding Rockall (Castle side Carrick - Island Oak), who is owned by Beatrice Watson from Westport in Co Mayo and bred by Co Derry’s William McCloskey.
Ridden by Heather Cleary, Rockall’s win was all about “when dreams come true.” Watson, who is studying to be a vet, bought Rockall six years ago as a four-year-old and she had many happy days hunting him with the Bray Harriers before she moved to Mayo.
Later, by chance, she met with Emily Cleary who mentioned that her sister Heather was looking for a pony to ride. Watson had little time to look after a pony owing to the birth of her twin daughters last April so she was happy to let him go to Cleary. The rest is history.
The biggest surprise for Watson was the novelty of taking part at the RDS. “We never dreamed of winning anything like this she said. It’s all down to Heather, she gave him the royal treatment.” That win earned them the Eugenia Murray Cup.