IT’s good to see entries on the rise again in the Equissage-sponsored horse working hunter section which will be judged by Katie Jerram Hunnable and Chris Hunnable in the CRL Arena next Friday afternoon at Balmoral Show,

Three of the 22 four-year-olds are mares; last May’s juvenile winner, the Loughehoe Guy gelding Cairnview Redwood Guy, returns but in new ownership in the five and six-year-old class where he could clash with Sarah Moore’s highly-regarded Porsch mare Bold Adventure and the RDS four-year-old winner, the Porsch gelding Burrough Hill Lad, who is now in the ownership of Antonia De Burgh.

That Co Kildare exhibitor has entered her well-known chesnut Cobra gelding Gypsy Cobra Cruis in the older horses’ class where he could again face last year’s champion, Paulette Cooper’s MJM Laszlo, behind whom he recently stood in the Northern Ireland Festival supreme working hunter championship at Cavan Equestrian Centre.

Gareth McClean is bringing his 12-year-old skewbald gelding Socket To Me back to defend his title in the Event Technical Services cob class, where he will face a maximum of eight rivals, while there are plenty of well-known exhibits among the 35 entries in the Dr E.F. Logan small horse working hunter class.

In recent weeks, we have covered the qualifiers for the Knotts Bakery young event horse championships at Balmoral Show and the final line-up in the Main Arena late next Thursday afternoon will feature 16 four-year-olds and 24 five-year-olds.

All three phases of these young event horse championships, which are confined to Irish-bred horses, again take place in the Main Arena where the judges will be Jennie Loriston Clark (dressage), Rosemary Morris (conformation) and Judy Bradwell (jumping). There will be four hours of competition, starting at 4.30pm.