DERMOT Molloy’s Two Mile Nigel, whose fan club last season included this writer, booked his ticket for the 2025 Balmoral Show (May 14th to 17th) at the first attempt last Saturday, when winning the four and five-year-old performance Irish Draught qualifier at The Meadows.

One of seven horses in the class ridden by Graiguenamangh veterinary surgeon Diarmuid Ryan, the five-year-old King Vinny gelding narrowly topped the scores of both judges, earning 45.5 marks out of 50 from Jayne Doherty for his flatwork and 62 out of 90 from the jump judge Vina Buller, contributing to a total of 129.5.

Also qualifying by right were Sammy Weston and the 2020 Cappa Aristocrat mare Tullys Stellar Lady (124), Lisa Mitchell Talbot riding the similarly-aged Carrickcottage Star mare My Woodfield Zoe Brooke (123) and Gwen Scott on board the Moylough Bouncer gelding Rockdale Star Bouncer (122), another five-year-old.

The highest-placed four-year-old in this 22-runner class was the Emma Jackson-partnered Ardlonan Bouncer, a stallion son of Darragh Moylough Vision, who just narrowly failed to qualify with 121 marks to his credit.

“Nigel is one of three horses Dermot has with me for the season,” said an obviously very fit Ryan, who also competed in the Connemara qualifiers on Sunday. “Now that he has booked his ticket for Balmoral, we can concentrate on the Kildare hunter performance show at Punchestown at the end of this month (Sunday, March 30th) and then the Northern Ireland Festival (May 2nd to 4th).

“Dermot will probably ride the horse himself at Cavan, as he did last year, when they won the novice supreme championship on the Saturday night. As well as the performance Draught class at Balmoral, Nigel will be entered in the five and six-year-old working hunter class.”

Last May, Two Mile Nigel, who was bred in Co Kerry by Jerry McMahon out of Two Mile Gretta (by Penmerryls Rhythm And Blues), was fifth in his performance ID class at Balmoral Park (a place behind Tullys Stellar Lady) while he was third in similar company at Dublin on the opening day of the show. There, he picked up a second yellow ribbon in the four-year-old heavyweight hunter class on the Friday and won his four-year-old working hunter class on the Sunday when he was reserve champion.

Older horses

Charlotte Harding riding Kontiki, winners of the six-year-old and over Irish Draught Balmoral qualifier at the Meadows \ Tori O'Connor Photography

The sole local success on Saturday came in the 23-runner six-year-old and upwards performance Irish Draught qualifier, where Charlotte Harding, who runs her own yard, RJC Sport Horses at Nutts Corner, amassed most marks (134 out of 140) on board Penny Murphy’s Kontiki.

This 11-year-old Killinick Bouncer gelding, who has 53 Showjumping Ireland points to his credit, was bred in Co Cork by Seamus Neville. The grey is out of the Holy Cross mare Glen Cross, whose previous produce include Westwinds Dakota (CCI3*-S), a 2001 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Regal Sting.

“Penny, who lives in Parkgate, keeps this fellow at home and only brings him over to me to have a jump; she competes on him herself at Elementary level with Dressage Ireland,” revealed Harding. “Last year at Balmoral, we finished third in the small horse working hunter class and third in the older horses’ open class. We were second in our performance Irish Draught class at Dublin and rounded off the year finishing ninth in the Intermediate workers at the Horse of the Year Show.

“We will try to qualify for HOYS again this year at the Northern Ireland Festival and will do the Dublin performance Irish Draught qualifiers again as well. We are also going to bring Kontiki over to Scotland for the Royal Highland Show (June 19th to 22nd),” concluded 23-year-old Harding who, on Sunday, competed in the Balmoral show jumping qualifier at Portmore.

The other three combinations to qualify on Saturday were Jessica Murphy with Bawnbally Diamond (132.5) a six-year-old son of Carrabawn Cross, Jenny Williams on husband Ian’s 2018 Kiltybane Naldo gelding Ballyrussell Misty (132) who qualified for the performance class last year at Dublin where he won the five and six-year-old lightweight working hunter class, and Edwina O’Connor with her mother Noreen’s well-known and much-beribboned 11-year-old Keamore Diamond Clover gelding Ashwood Reggie (129).