SOMETIMES that little bit of magic happens at a show. Clarecastle has it down to a fine art with their opening ceremony presentations and it happened again last Thursday at Bannow and Rathangan Show.
The special occasion was to mark the 25th anniversary of Galway Crystal and Belleek China’s involvement with a cross-border initiative to host an All-Ireland three-year-old final at the Co Wexford show.
James Callaghan, Galway Crystal and Belleek China; Rosemary Connors the 2016 winning owner-breeder with Woodfield Xtra and Bannow Show president Walter Kent \ Susan Finnerty
Previous winning owners, including several top Irish producers, were invited for a trip down memory lane before this year’s final, won by Sharon Kelly Murphy’s Annaghmore Dunkirk.
In comparison to last year’s ‘sign of the times’ final that attracted 13 three-year-olds, this year’s final saw 21 horses fill the big Bannow ring and judges Chris Gordon and John Lenihan had a tough task ahead of them to whittle down their final six.
Their original line-up underwent a complete reshuffle, with the eventual champion moving up from fifth to take the €800 first prize. One of two HHS Cornet progeny in the top-three (Julie Radden’s third-placed Master Clinton was the other), Annaghmore Dunkirk was bred by Aoife Healion near Tullamore.
The Bannow champion’s dam HHS Flo Echo is from the damline of Twinkle, the King of Diamonds-Battleburn mare that produced Marion Hughes’ famous mare Flo Jo.
Zooming right up from 12th place to reserve champion place and the highest-placed filly prize was Paula Howard’s Balmoral young horse champion, Tullabeg Hello. “We missed her first time around,” acknowledged the judges, as was easy to do in a field of bays with a sole grey amongst them.
She was bred in the Model County by Nicholas Cousins, who stands her Plot Blue sire Hiello at Tullabeg Stud in Camolin.
Third place went to Julie Radden’s Master Clinton, the highest-placed home-bred in the line-up and he is out of her good winning mare, Rose Garland.
Both Master Clinton and the fourth-placed Alan Harney’s Kilmacow Major (September Storm x Guidam) qualified at Adamstown the previous weekend and now, with the confirmed cancellation of Gorey Show for this year, means that Adamstown and Bannow and Rathangan were the two agricultural shows that went ahead in Co Wexford.
Fifth place went to Anita Ronan’s Coolboy Arnie (Watermill Swatch x Puissance), one of six traditional-breds in the final and Jane Bradbury’s Carrigmore (Dignified van’t Zorgvliet x Indian Danehill) placed sixth.
Claiming another piece of Belleek Living china was the best-turned-out combination of Kilkenny owner Jason Dunphy and Scattery PJ. This combination qualified at Midleton, one of 13 Irish Shows Association (ISA) qualifier host shows.
Between goods from ‘silver anniversary’ sponsor Galway Crystal and Belleek China, plus sponsorship from the host show and the Horse Sport Ireland showing series, the Bannow final’s prize fund totalled €6,000.
Lucrative prize money seems to be the key to enticing young horse owners out.
“Just from listening to other people while I’m in yards, I think prize money definitely is an aspect of it,” remarked Kelly Murphy, the winning owner and an equine physio.
Winning the Bannow and Rathangan final last Thursday though for this showing newcomer? Priceless.
“It’s my first time to Bannow. I only started showing last year, as I was into racehorses for most of my life. I always got to Balmoral and Dublin and I used to work for Meadowlands Stud and Brian Kennedy, who’s since passed away, but he was always pointing out things about foals, such as knees and limbs.”
From Craigavon - her address is Dunkirk Road, hence her champion’s name - she already owned Annaghmore Ganecho, his half-brother. “He’s with Carol Gee and that’s why I bought him [Dunkirk] as a foal. I contacted the breeder, Aoife Healion and she sent me photos of him running around in the sand arena when the mare came back from stud.
“Two weeks before the Bannow championship, he was champion young horse in Enniskillen with Shirley [Hurst] and his half-brother, Annaghmore Flo Pleasure, was reserve. Both of the half-brothers are going to Dublin,” added their elated owner.
Bannow Team: All-Ireland steward Pat White and Bannow Show vice-president Eamon Furlong; show chairperson Betty Stafford; James Callaghan, Galway Irish Crystal; Junior Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon T.D; show secretary Liz Freeman and Bannow Show vice-chairman Michael Doran \ Susan Finnerty
25 years of memories
AS the Junior Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon TD mentioned in last week’s news story, running the Bannow and Rathangan Show is a massive undertaking for a committee of 60, plus an additional 500 volunteers on the day.
Add in a special commemorative event to mark 25 years of Galway Crystal’s involvement and Liz Freeman’s secretarial workload was mind-boggling. Previous winning owners were invited to a pre-final gathering in the main showring, where those in attendance were presented with a Galway Crystal memento and souvenir booklet by show president Walter Kent and Galway Crystal’s James Callaghan.
Denis Collins, from Rosscarbery, recalled winning the very first final in 1999 with April Sting (Regal Sting) and Dessie Gibson had fond memories of both the pre-final get-together by northern exhibitors and locals in The Silver Fox pub in nearby Kilmore Quay and of his multiple champions, most recently Sort Code (2023).
“I won it five times and was second five times,” he said.
Daphne Tierney is a dual winning owner - Bloomfield Waterside (2017), bred by M.J. Kavanagh and the home-bred Bloomfield Watergate (2022).
“I saw this class and said, ‘That’s what I want to do’. It’s just wonderful to promote the three-year-old. It’s such a high standard and it’s a great endorsement when they do well in this final.”
She spoke too about the special type of horse it takes to ‘win Bannow’. “Temperament being the main thing. People laugh at that, but it’s so important that you get a horse that can show himself, stand up, be very proud and have ‘look at me’ attitude. There’s no point in having something here otherwise.”
Paula Howard, the breeder of the 2010 winner Timpany Flight Hero, accepted his owner Betsy Dunne’s award on her behalf before watching her own Tullabeg Hello place reserve in the latest final.
“It’s great to see people encouraging breeders and encouraging young horses, because the breeders are the bedrock of our horse world. Without breeders, there’d be no foals, no yearlings, no two-year-olds, no horses at all.”
Margaret Jeffares, Dessie Gibson and Paula Howard browse the All-Ireland final souvenir booklet \ Susan Finnerty
The 2012 champion Mr Watt, like Timpany Flight Hero, was another by the late Des Noctor’s Emperor Augustus. Mr Watt’s owner Maurice Wafer remembered the year the Bannow show had to be called off due to the bad weather on the day, but how the final still went ahead as a standalone event.
“We’re celebrating our 80th year at Carnew Show this year,” he said about his local show that takes place today and also paid tribute to Dorothea Lazenby, the first lady president of the ISA, for her contribution to, ‘Not only her local show Carnew, but for all the shows in the region’.”
“It was such a historic day,” remarked Margaret Jeffares, who won with another home-bred in Ballykelly Emperor (2013).
“To see the number of people around the ring shout for Wexford on the day was a fantastic memory. Coming from Co Clare and being adopted for over 30 years here in Wexford, it was a proud moment. Of all the ISA championships, I think this is probably the one that everybody wants to win.
“It’s the committee and it’s the hard work and it’s the full support this show gets and the community and volunteering. We live only 10 minutes away, everybody is here today, so it’s like ‘Hello!’ ‘Hello!’ ‘Hello!’ It’s a fantastic show.”
Another home-bred champion owner was Rosemary Connors, whose Woodfield Xtra (2016) was the winning foal three years earlier in The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship at Dublin, alongside Woodfield Valier.
Seamus Lehane had fond memories of not only winning with Ballard Eagle (2011), but then co-judging with his Aga Khan hero Con Power two years later. “Magic!”
Another Cork winner was Regina Daly, who won with Say No More (2021) and mentioned how the horse continues to win on the UK show scene.
George Chapman was next to be honoured for The Deputy, shown by the late Billy Connors to win in 2005 and the most successful graduate, as the Cult Hero gelding went on to successfully event at five-star level with Jonelle Price (NZL).
Last but not least, was the man who won this final 20 years ago with Laura’s Ghareeb. Bred by Richard Drohan, Laura’s Ghareeb was shown by then-owner Jay Bowe and the 2004 champion was another to go eventing.
It was the perfect curtain-raiser to the 2024 final and a record of 25 years of the Galway Crystal and Belleek China initiative at Bannow and Rathangan Show.
What they said
“I was very lucky to have Ghareeb.”
Jay Bowe, owner of this sire of his 2004 All-Ireland champion Laura’s Ghareeb.
“It started off as a cross-border initiative and it’s wonderful to see this championship going from strength to strength each year.”
James Callaghan, Galway Crystal and Belleek China.
“A wonderful show. Sadly, we don’t have enough of them in England. You get the big ones, which are surviving, but they’re very commercial nowadays. This has got a lovely family feel about it.”
Chris Gordon, one of the All-Ireland final judges, was charmed by Bannow and Rathangan.
“The Government recognises how important agricultural shows are like this. It is the heartbeat of our rural communities and that’s why my colleague, Minister Heather Humphreys, was delighted to be able to give a grant of over €11,000 towards the cost of this show, because it is a big undertaking for a voluntary committee.
“We’ve invested over four million euro in 122 agricultural shows since 2018, and will continue to do so in the future.”
Martin Heydon, TD. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
“To be competing in the All-Ireland at Bannow was a real privilege, and for my filly to emerge from that impressive line-up as reserve champion was very heaven - with apologies to Wordsworth! As ever and always, I owe it all to [producers] Gillian and David Lyons, top team!”
Paula Howard, Tullabeg Hello’s owner.
“With the buzz around the ring, I just kept walking. He was pulled in fifth and I kept box-walking while it was being judged. I’m still pinching myself!”
Sharon Kelly Murphy, winning owner.
“I’m very happy with the standard. I thought we had to work hard, there was 21 in the ring and it was hard to go through them. The first line-up didn’t work, but we couldn’t see it all in the first go-round. We’re very happy with the decisions we made in the end.”
John Lenihan, All-Ireland co-judge.
Champions round up
IT would be fair to say that judges Tim Wilson (broodmares) and Seamus Lehane (young horses) did not have the most taxing of days in their adjoining showrings, but that’s the reality of post-Covid entries numbers.
A long way though from the era, described by last year’s All-Ireland final judge and Wexford native Brendan Furlong, of farmers and exhibitors walking their stock to shows.
Conversely, now in an era when everyone owns or has access to a horsebox, entries have plummeted at many shows. “Too expensive to produce a horse”, “Bad judging”, “Same faces winning every week” and “Not enough young people coming up” are the most common theories given for the entries fall-off.
A conversation about an issue that needs to be had, but back to Bannow and the exhibitors who did turn up. These included frequent flier John Roche, whose Assagart Fairytale (Coroner) took the broodmare title and Donal Goland, who won the foal championship with one by his own Financial Reward.
Laura Kelly’s well-named HL Master And Commander, an Island Commander - Kings Master two-year-old gelding, was both the traditional and young horse champion, ahead of Derry Rothwell’s young horse reserve, Greenhall Showtime (Dignified van’t Zorgvliet).
Assagart Legacy (Assagart All For One) was the reserve traditional champion.
“Do I win a prize for his name?” Laura Kelly, smiling through the rain, with her Bannow young horse champion HL Master And Commander \ Susan Finnerty
Corena Bowe’s Cappa Amadeus five-year-old Patrickswell Sherry again matched his working hunter horse reserve champion title of last year. This year’s working hunter horse title stayed ‘in-house’, as it was won by J.J. Bowe’s Home Ruler, with Michael Bowe aboard.
Helena Hennessy Ruane’s intermediate Ballarin Bada Bing won the famous Slaney Valley Cup, presented to the ridden horse champion.
Amongst the catalogued winners in the pony section, Jerry Maloney’s Barryroe Princess Tiger won both the youngstock and in-hand titles, with another pony breeder stalwart Thalia Smithwick’s intriguingly-named Kilreene Oops I Forgot being the reserve in both championships.
As mentioned in practically every other show report, the issue of late entries and having to take entries on the day adds very much to the workload of voluntary committees. “Oops I forgot” - great name for a pony, seemingly often applies to entries too!