YVONNE Pearson could have partnered her own Cairnview Redwood Guy in Sunday’s hunter championship at the Tattersalls Ireland July Show, having finished second on the chesnut in the morning’s lightweight class.

However, the Newtownards owner gave up the chance to appear in the Main Arena, so that Lesley Jones could ride the Loughehoe Guy gelding in the later Mahony Family ladies’ side saddle class and, following the 10-year-old’s win, both women went home happy.

Pearson left the Co Meath showgrounds with the Fania Mahony trophy, which she will display for a year, while Jones took permanent ownership of a pair of earrings presented to the winning rider by Edmond Mahony, chief ring steward, show committee member and chairman of Tattersalls. Pearson and Jones also secured a ticket for next year’s Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead.

Given the large numbers that contested the Dublin side saddle qualifiers, it was disappointing that just five combinations appeared before Rebecca Baker (ride) and Simon Somers (conformation), but both the winner, Cairnview Redwood Guy, and the second-placed Irish Draught gelding Cloonan Hector, who was ridden by Zohra Smyth for Chris Carter and Damien McCormack, had proven themselves already on the circuit in the season and are Dublin-bound.

The final task undertaken by Baker and Somers at the Tattersalls Ireland July Show was to judge the Tadg Riordan Motors veteran horse championship and here their winner and reserve came from the pre-veteran class (15 to 19-year-olds).

Naturally enough, both horses are well-known on the showing circuit. The champion was the Angus McDonnell-owned and ridden Statesman, a 15-year-old Ricardo Z gelding, while Rachel Moore stood reserve on Team Torrens’ year older Brief Encounter gelding Leave It To You.

Both horses earned golden tickets allowing them to compete at the ‘Veteran Horse of the Year 2024’ supreme finals being held at Arena UK, Grantham, on Sunday, September 1st.

The winner of the 20-year-old and upwards class was Jade Morton’s Caitlin Kelly, a 21-year-old Master Imp mare.

The other flat title winners at the show included Catherine McDowell’s Its The Kings Speech, a 14-year-old middleweight Kings Master gelding, who claimed the LHK Insurance amateur ridden hunter championship (an RIHS qualifier), ahead of the small/lightweight class winner, Rhona McNamara’s 15-year-old Quicksilber gelding Reenmore Duke, the former three-star eventer.