THIS year, a qualification process was introduced for the Connemara ridden and working hunter classes at Balmoral Show (May 14th to 17th) with the first round taking place last Sunday at The Meadows where Lesley Jones recorded a double.

Both Emily McGowan-owned ponies were in action previously this year at the McCusker family’s Lurgan equestrian centre, having started in the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing Series, and both are due to travel down to Tyrella this weekend for the Eventing Ireland Northern Region’s two-phase competition. Ahead of Balmoral Show, they may make an appearance at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan (May 2nd to 4th).

On Sunday, Jones struck first in the working hunter class for riders aged 16 and upwards with Derrylackey Playboy who she campaigned for McGowan over the past two years. They finished third and fourth respectively in ridden breed classes at Dublin in 2023 and 2024 while placing third in their Connemara working hunter class at Balmoral last May. Derrylackey Playboy, a six-year-old bay gelding by Lightening Star, was bred in Co Kilkenny by Mary Dermody out of the Monaghanstown Barney mare Derrylackey May.

Lesley Jones and Carnakilly Monarch won the Connemara four and five-year-old Balmoral qualifier at The Meadows EC \ Ellie Johnson Photography

Also qualifying by right out of this class on Sunday were Diarmuid Ryan with the 2016 Clifden Silver gelding Pem Boy, Megan Houston and the 2012 Creemully Western Melody gelding Western Ocala, Sarah McPolin riding the 2011 Derroe Champ gelding Magic Rhythm, Sophie Ennis and the wordy Achadh an Luir Rainbow Mirah, a 2026 mare by Glenmore Mirah Patrick, and Lewis Orr with the 2009 Charleville Playboy gelding Charleville Get Me Out.

Monarch strikes

The Jones/McGowan double came up in the ridden qualifier for four and five-year-old ponies where the day’s judge, Valerie Davis, had their Carnakilly Monarch, a 2020 gelding by Carnakilly MacGuire, at the top of her leaderboard. The winner was bred out of the Dexter Leam Pondi mare Carnakilly Coral by Co Derry’s Jackie Hockley from whom the dun was purchased as a three-year-old.

Just three other ponies qualified by right out of this flat class viz the Charlotte Smiley-ridden Eastlands Jollybrae, a 2020 gelding by Eastlands Harleybrae, the 2020 dun mare Mai Of Deerpark who finished third under Jenny Lindsay, and the Kelsie Dean-partnered Doyle’s Pixie Shadow, a four-year-old grey mare by Carrowmore Shadow.

The second qualifier for these Connemara classes at Balmoral takes place tomorrow week, Sunday, March 16th, at Duffys Equestrian Centre, Claregalway. The third will be staged at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Sunday, March 30th with the last of the four being hosted by the Glynn family at their Killossery Lodge Stud in north Co Dublin on Saturday, April 5th.

There are no qualifiers for the two in-hand Connemara classes at Balmoral, but there is a limit of 15 entries in both, nor for the Clifden high performance qualifier.