Susan Finnerty

LIVING up to his name, Tattygare Something Special brought off a back-to-back All Ireland final double at Tinahely where the Hurst Show Team’s home-bred gelding won the Connolly’s Red Mills two-year-old final. The filly equivalent had already been decided at Kildysart two days before and a dozen more contenders lined out before Rachel Bennett-Hamilton and Russell Owens in another pre-Dublin All Ireland final.

The most pressure in an All Ireland final must surely be on the exhibitor pulled in top of the preliminary line-up and Declan Fahey held that nerve-wracking place in the judge’s original order with his consistent winner, Irishman. Slotting into second was Donie McGale’s Corniche Chill with the 2015 All Ireland yearling champion and Dublin winner Tattygare Something Special in third.

Several other good winners on the show scene were also in contention in the quality line-up, including Tiernan Gill’s Balmoral winner Walk In The Park. However, the day belonged to the Porsch gelding, out of the Euphemism mare Tattygare Golden Delight, who swapped places with Fahey’s Nigrasine hopeful and McGale’s grey by Chillout staying in second.

Speaking afterwards the judges said their emphasis was on good movement and clean limbs, with blemishes and failing to track up behind blighting some four-legged finalists chances. “There was a couple of raw two-year-olds down the line which will be much better as older horses,” predicted Rachel Bennett-Hamilton, while her co-judge felt that several of their prizewinners had a good future on the British show circuit. Owens, who like the Tinahely show hunter pony judge Peter Molloy, has been invited to judge at HOYS this October, also judged the young horse classes, where on a par with other shows, numbers were low. The pair found their overall and filly champion in Bobby Moore’s purchase, a Kings Master three-year old, while their reserve and yearling title went to PJ Glynn’s Crannaghmore Lad.

The Near Dock home-bred was claiming his seventh win from seven classes to add to his reserve place in the recent All Ireland yearling final at Castlewellan. John and Julia Crosbie’s Irish Draught mare by Windgap Blue, Velvet Blue, won the broodmare championship, with the father and son judging team of Michael and Mary Dooner selecting Derry Rothwell’s Kings Master colt Greenhall Master Cruise as their foal champion. Mary Rothwell took the reserve ridden horse title with the Cavan Irish Draught Sale purchase Greenhall Polly, while Olga Scully’s home-bred Master Swatch gelding, winner of a strong lightweight hunter class, stood champion. Kate Doyle’s 143cms show hunter class winner Rathcline Kestrel took the champion ridden pony tricolour with Carole Douglas’s Little Amelie in reserve and Peter Byrne had a clean sweep in the in-hand pony section with his champion Wyndham Peaches and reserve Wyndham Heaven Sent.