BOHERMEEN exhibitors Chris Carter and Damien McCormack share the ride on Cloonan Hector and it was McCormack who was on board their 2012 Clew Bay Bouncer gelding when the grey won the six-year-old and upwards RDS performance Irish Draught qualifier at Scarteen on Thursday.

Cloonan Hector (231) had five points in hand over the nine-year-old Heigh Ho Silver gelding Ellistown Morgan, ridden by Padraig Quinn for Shauna Jordan, while Jenny Williams finished third on her own seven-year-old Treanlaur Rocky gelding Gneeve King William (217). As there was just one class of older Irish Draughts, the three have all qualified for the final at Lambertstown on Tuesday, August 17th.

Last Sunday, Cloonan Hector, who was bred in Co Mayo by Tom Fitzgerald out of the Crannagh Hero mare Warren Wendy, finished sixth in the older ridden class at the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association Laois Branch show in Stradbally. Tomorrow, at the Association of Irish Riding Clubs/Connolly’s Red Mills national show jumping championships at Mullingar, McCormack will partner the grey in the Advanced Intermediate Derby while Carter will compete him in the Primary championship and Primary accumulator.

Three horses qualified from the two classes of four- and five-year-olds. Going forward from Section A is The King’s Silver (233.5 points) who had finished best of the four-year-olds at Tullylish. Owned and ridden by Alicia Devlin Byrne, the grey gelding by WRS Elvis was bred in Co Cork by John O’Connor out of Lisrobin Lady, by Fast Silver.

Two five-year-olds qualified from Section B where the clear winner, mainly thanks to his clear jumping round, was Echo King Prospect (231 points) who was ridden by James Rochford for Tanya Bourke. A gelded son of Echo King, the grey was bred in Co Mayo by David O’Toole out of Bouncing Queen (by Clew Bay Bouncer).

Qualifying in second was the Katie Stafford-owned and ridden Dennistown Prince Of Pride (221.5), winner of the four and five-year-old ridden class at Stradbally last Sunday. Bred in Co Wicklow by Andrew Waldron, this chesnut stallion by Crosstown Pride is out of Ballylusk Sunday Dawn, by Golden Trump.