IF it’s a day ending in a ‘Y’ at this time of year, chances are that Diarmuid Ryan will be trying to qualify for some section or other of the Dublin Horse Show and, at Tullylish last Saturday, he bagged a ticket for both the Connemara performance hunter and the performance Irish Draught divisions.

His successful partner in Section A of the four and five-year-old ID class was Dermot Molloy’s 2019 Heigh oi Dubh gelding Cummer Dubh who, on 236 points, stood second to the Correna Bowe-ridden Patrickswell Sherry (238) who had qualified at Forth Mountain seven days previously. Molloy’s grey was bred by Larry Carey out of Cummermore Lady (by Crannagh Hero).

A go-to rider for many owners, Ryan, like all others, can only qualify a maximum of two horses across the two performance Irish Draught classes at Dublin. The same rule applies in the Connemara performance hunter division.

On Saturday, Sean Looney qualified in third with the five-year-old stallion Benlows Hero (232). A son of Benlowcross, this grey was bred by his owners, Messrs Ryan and Smith, out of another Crannagh Hero mare, Goleen Bay.

The sole horse to qualify out of Section B was Graham Dempsey’s ‘Russell’ who, under Helen Keatley, finished 10 points clear of his nearest rival. A four-year-old by WRS Sun Rise, this grey gelding was bred by Joseph O’Mahony out of the Elm Hill mare Oakmount Madam.

Like Ryan, Co Mayo’s Hannah Gordon recorded a cross-native breed qualifying double, here winning Section B of the six-year-old and upwards class with Liam Lynskey’s DS Ballagh Bouncer (240 points). The well-known grey was third not only in his performance class at Dublin last August but also in his in-hand stallion class. The 11-year-old son of Moylough Bouncer was bred by Ballaghaderreen’s Brendan Duffy out of Mount Diamond Princess (by Mount Diamond Flag).

DS Ballagh Bouncer was one of 20 entered on Saturday and while this competition and qualifying system is an excellent way of promoting a stallion, they have to perform on the day or otherwise it would have a negative effect.

Castledermot’s Aoife Horan qualified in second on her own Dermot Shaughnessy-bred 2015 Grandpas Diamond mare Holy Wells Bella (238) who is out of Grey Thunder Girl (by Dunkerrin Grey Mist).

The sole ticket awarded in Section A went to Captain Midnight (237) who was ridden by Co Kildare’s Ali Keating for her mother Yvonne Connolly. Bred in Co Galway by William Moran, this 10-year-old Young Carrabawn bay is out of Coradh Clover (by Coille Mor Hill). The judges for the performance classes on Saturday were Nicola Brown and Janet Hall (ridden display) and Georgia Stubington (jump).