Susan Finnerty

OFFICIALLY opened by the charming Ukraine-born Anna Gabriel, who was later adopted by a local family after the Chernobyl disaster 30 years ago, Bandon Show attracted large crowds last Sunday.

Boosted by hosting a round of the Munster Grand Prix show jumping series, there was another possible show jumping connection when the word spread that Billy Twomey had won the young horse championship.

However the prospect of the Cork-born international branching into the showring too ended when it transpired it was a namesake from Leap. This Billy Twomey showed the champion for his daughter, Lorna and the family had bought the three-year-old gelding as a foal at Tallow Fair. By the Trakehner stallion Grafenstolz, produced in his youth by Rolex Grand Slam champion Michael Jung, their find has been lightly shown since.

Cork showing classes are traditionally strong and these were no exception. Lorna, a UCD Agricultural Science student, was already thrilled with her Lucky Jack’s win in his class before he was selected as Tiernan Gill and Philip Scott’s overall young horse champion.

“He has one of the best walks I’ve seen,” declared Scott about the charismatic bay who saw off the challenge of John Tyner’s yearling champion. The Orestus-sired Bullseye had scored in this championship and Seamus Lehane’s Ballard Wizard was the latest of his Clonakilty owner’s string to claim the Tanner Cup awarded in the two-year-old equivalent.

However it was Lucky Jack who claimed the youngstock crown for his connections and the All Ireland three-year-old final at Bannow & Rathangan is his target this season.

Coincidentally, both of the 2016 final judges – Gill and Timmy Wilson – were back on duty at Bandon. Wilson had the sole task of judging the breedingstock classes, which were well-filled at this stage of the showing season and was generally happy with the standard before him. He was concerned though about the prevalence of offset knees, (where a straight line down the foreleg deviates below the knee when viewed from in front) in some entries.

Again, it looked like a departure from the norm with sport horse exhibitor John Roche showing a new addition in the Irish Draught mare class. It turned out the winner is owned by his mother Mary Margaret and was bought from an online advert last November from her owner, who was retiring from horse breeding. Kingstead Fiona’s arrival on their Foulksmill farm has now opened up another showring option and Dublin is on the cards for the nine-year-old, by the late Huntingfield Rebel.

She is now in foal to Walter Kent’s Irish Draught stallion Lansdown, who also shares a similar name to Conor Swail’s KWPN show jumping stallion Lansdowne. Standing reserve in the broodmare championship was Tipperary exhibitors Judith and Russell Cowley’s Cloneyhea Peas, by their own Arthurs Gold, who had won the opening barren mare class.

Patrick O’Sullivan’s winning streak continued when Lotto won the foal championship to make it three wins from three outings. The Lancelot filly, out of the Kahtan mare Droum Bridge Lass, had also won at the Kingdom Country Fair at Tralee and Leap and she saw off the challenge of Kieran O’Gorman’s Munther’s Rebel, a colt by the thoroughbred sire Munther.

The reserve champion foal is a descendant of Kildysart Royale, a prolific winning mare in the RDS Breeders Championship for O’Gorman. Bred by Tom and Linda Magee, she was produced in her youngstock days by then-Kildysart owner Tom Casey who was the conformation judge in the ridden horses ring.

Here, the veteran producer was teamed up with ride judge Conor Higgins. Another of Philip Scott’s well-trained protégés, Higgins now works as the manager at Mayfield Stud after a spell in charge of the two-year-old yard at Ballydoyle.

Strong classes were the hallmark of another Bandon showring particularly in the Irish Draught and side saddle divisions.

“They’re undergoing quite a renaissance,” remarked Higgins.

The hardy exhibitors who braved the occasional torrential downpour to the last were whittled down to seven championship contenders with the pair opting for Waterford owner James Lynch’s Barnacurra Maximus Meridius as their eventual champion.

Now a five-year-old, the Golden Lariat bay won a strong lightweight class for his producer Rosemary Connors who plans a ‘day by day’ approach for his other 2016 appearances. Bred near Knock by Luke Morley, he is out of the Big Sink Hope mare Morley Street, herself a winner of the 2006 All Ireland filly foal final at Knock and is no stranger to the Munster show circuit after his youngstock winning days with Christine O’Connor.

Standing reserve was Araglin, another good winner for Tipperary owner Aidan Ryan with the pair producing a raking gallop in the championship showdown. Ryan, who bought his grey heavyweight as a yearling, is a particular fan of his winner’s Irish Draught sire, the late WRS Sunrich.

“The champion from the lightweight division was a horse that demonstrated exceptional movement combined with true presence and superb quality. Our reserve went the way of the heavyweight, he filled the eye and was a proper weight-carrying horse that covered the ground effortlessly,” said Higgins.

John Dinneen’s wait for the supreme pony championship paid off too when his Goldengrove Secret Charm rose to the occasion to take the tricolour. Earlier in the day, the three-year-old had faded in the downpour that coincided with her class but bounced back to take the part-bred Welsh class and Welsh championship for her Bantry owner, then the overall in-hand title to claim her spot in the supreme.

“She was just a different pony later in the day, she came back out and sparkled in the Welsh classes,” said in-hand judge, Tony Ennis. Bought as a yearling from Catherine Boylan, the plan is to sell the filly later in the year to start her ridden career.

Standing reserve was Lucy Tuthill Kingston’s Connemara champion Lahaknock Shadow. The Shadows Dun-sired geldingwas partnered in the supreme ring by Deirdre Burchill while his regular rider Jane Kingston was on board the showpony champion, Wellcroft Allegra, owned by Emma Dair.