CAITLIN Trainor, a member of Kilkeel and District Riding Club, won the supreme championship at the Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland Show held at the beautiful Narrow Water Equestrian Centre last Saturday.
Sixteen-year-old Trainor claimed the title on her mother Sarah-Jayne’s topically-named Westbank who, en route, landed the retraining championship, having first won the raced class in that section. In both instances, Michael McGaffin finished directly behind Trainor with the five-year-old Acclamation gelding Guest,who was judged the best turned-out in the unraced section.
Westbank, a 12-year-old mare by Scorpion, finished third once in eight starts in point-to-points or over hurdles in 2017 and 2018 when trained by Stuart Crawford for Elizabeth ‘Hammy’ Hamilton, a member of the Eventing Ireland Northern Region committee. The bay, who is out of the Hamas mare Gaza Strip, is a full-sister to the four-time track winner Deadly Sting.
Sixteen combinations contested the unraced retraining class won by Mullaghmore Riding Club member Sinead McNally with the seven-year-old Sholokhov mare Aughnamallagh Lady. Kelly Kidd finished second here on her nine-year-old Prince Flori mare Prophets Tale, but the positions between the pair were reversed when they topped the final line-up in the Open class.
The ridden veteran horse class was won by Cairlinn Carroll on Polish Partisan, with Katie Adams finishing second on the best turned-out winner, Enemy Engagement, a well-related 15-year-old gelding by Desert King.
Victoria McCandless and Da Baba Elephant at the Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland show at the beautiful Narrow Water Equestrian Centre \ Michael Boyd
In-hand
Many of the horses mentioned above were also shown in-hand. The winner of the non-restricted class was Letterkenny Riding Club member Shauna Boyle with Balmont Flyer. This now 15-year-old Balmont gelding won three races on the Polytrack at Dundalk Stadium in 2012/13 when trained by Joanna Morgan. Here, Victoria McCandless was placed second with the 14-year-old Subtle Power gelding Da Baba Elephante, who won five races over fences for the Ronan McNally yard.
Boyle and Balmont Flyer had to settle for second place in the veteran in-hand class to Co Meath’s Sarah O’Flaherty with her 21-year-old Alflora gelding Laureldean Chief, who ran once in a point-to-point-to-point maiden back in 2007. Despite this reversal, Boyle claimed the show’s veteran championship with Balmont Flyer.
Dressage
Three dressage classes, judged by Lucinda Webb-Graham, were also staged on Saturday, when there was double delight for Racehorse To Riding Horse Ireland supremo Julie Edgar who, on a very successful day for the organisation, is owner of the Preliminary class winner, Departures.
An eight-year-old mare by Fast Company, Departures ran unplaced in five outings on the flat in 2017/18 when in the care of Takashi Kodama. The bay is on loan at present for 14-year-old Molly Byrne to ride and, with coaching from Narrow Water’s Michael Boyd, it is hoped they will compete in Dressage Ireland Trailblazers classes next year.
Michael McGaffin won the Intro class with the previously-mentioned ex-Harry Smith-owned and trained Guest, who failed to worry the judge in 11 track outings (all but one being over hurdles). Cairlinn Carroll won the Novice class scores with the 16-year-old Pilsudski gelding Polish Partisan who won a bumper and was placed five times over hurdles in a 42-race career between 2011 and 2019.