THIRD in 2022 under Christine O’Donnell and second last year under Diarmuid Ryan, Liz Power’s Kilshanny Robert will be bidding to make it third time lucky, when he competes in the final of the older Connemara performance hunter championship at Dublin in August.

Again partnered by Ryan, the 12-year-old grey Cashelbay Prince gelding won Section A of the older qualifying class last Saturday at Tullylish, where the Stevenson family hosted the first round of the series on what was a long day for judges Joanne Jarden, Jan Martin (flat) and James McEvoy (jumping).

Bred in Co Clare by Fergus and Donnacha McCurtain out of their Earl Of Castlefrench mare Garvagh Countess, Kilshanny Robert won the class on a total of 236 points. Thoroughbred stud manager and Treo Eile director Caoimhe Doherty qualified in second with her 10-year-old Rathcoona Cove gelding Rathcoona Leam O (229), who was bred in Co Galway by the late Jim Quirke out of Rathcoona Blue (by Ashfield Jovial Joker).

Return visit

The qualification tickets in Section B were bagged by Anna Murphy on her mother Naomi’s Pem Boy (242), who will be making a return visit to Dublin, and by Megan Houston on Charlotte Keer’s Western Ocala (237) who will be doing likewise.

The winner, who Ryan partnered to qualify in second place in the Clifden high performance class at Balmoral, is an eight-year-old grey gelding by Clifden Silver. He was bred by Michael Moran out of the Rathcoona Cove mare Ballinvoher Lady. The 12-year-old Creemully Western Melody gelding Western Ocala, who finished second of 20 in an EI100 at Tyrella in April, was bred in Co Galway by Mary Mitchell out of Western Princess (by Smokey Duncan).

Diarmuid Ryan secured a fourth Dublin ticket when he and Laura Whitney’s Galtee Setanta and the Charlene Fitzpatrick-ridden, Geraldine MacCann-owned Erne Valley Shadow, a fellow six-year-old grey gelding, both completed with 231 points to their credit in Section A of the class for five to seven-year-old ponies. Bred by Chris Hennessy, Galtee Setanta is by Kinvara Boy out of Bean Uachtair (by Lishmar Shadow), while the Marcella Matthews-bred Erne Valley Shadow is by Lightening Star out of Erne Valley Sirona (by Moonlight Silver Shadow).

There was a clear-cut winner in Section B, where Sophie Countess Von Maltzan’s Bettyspark Shadow amassed 243 points in the hands of Caoimhe Eivers. This seven-year-old grey stallion by Silver Shadow was bred by William O’Donnell out of Inishnee Briar Rose (by Linsfort Barney). Also seven, grey and qualified is Ciara Evans’s owner-ridden gelding Newgrange Brady (234), a son of Innellan Phoenix, who was bred by Michael McMenamin out of Slane Princess (by Newgrange Oisin).