THE first two Star of the Future qualifiers for this year’s Balmoral Show (May 14th to 17th), which were held last Saturday at The Meadows, were won by combinations based in Co Wicklow.

The Garden County double was initiated by New Zealand international Amanda Goldsbury on Cooley Farm’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Showman, who landed the 28-runner five-year-old qualifier on a his Eamon Rice-awarded total of 89 marks out of 100.

“I bought this fellow at the 2023 Go For Gold Sale (his sole purchase that year, when giving €40,000 for the Niall O’Doherty-consigned chesnut) and I think he is a proper event horse,” revealed Cooley Farm’s Richard Sheane, who missed the action at The Meadows on Saturday to go pony jumping in Cavan.

“He’s by Vittorio and was bred by Connie Barry out of a Cruising full-sister to First Mate (CCI5*-L) and Bosun (CCI4*-L). He was very slow to mature and even now, while we would like to do another qualifier with him, he might need a bit of a break. I’m delighted that he has qualified, as it’s great to get a horse into that big ring at Balmoral for experience.”

Cooley Showman’s dam, Twilight Cruise, who is also a half-sister to the Clover Brigade gelding Buccaneer (CCI4*-L), was bred by Hartwell Stud’s David McCann out of the unraced thoroughbred mare Tobar Bhride (by Good Thyne).

The two other five-year-olds who qualified on Saturday were the Jackson Laing-ridden ISH gelding Creevyquinn Ace (87), a chesnut son of Glasgow vant Merelsnest, and Bridget Speirs’s home-bred ISH gelding BT Just Special (86), an I’m Special de Muze bay, who had a fence down under the busy Diarmuid Ryan.

Six and seven-year-olds

Neil Wrynn riding Ardeo on Q, winners of the six and seven-year-old ‘Star of the future’ Balmoral performance qualifier at the Meadows \ Tori O'Connor Photography

“I don’t usually agree with the judges in these classes, but I did on this occasion!” declared Ardeo Sport Horses’ Neil Wrynn, who landed Saturday’s six and seven-year-old Star of the Future qualifier on board his wife Melanie’s ISH gelding Ardeo On Q. This 2018 OBOS Quality 004 bay, who amassed 90 marks out of 100 to see off his 25 rivals, was bred in Co Clare by David Williams out of Ashton Ena, by Carnturano.

“We bought him as a four-year-old from a young girl in the north, who was wearing her school uniform when meeting us to show him during her lunch break. Mel had a lot of success show jumping him in 2023 and probably wished she rode him on Saturday, but she’s not getting him back! I then took over the ride, while Daryl Walker jumped him at last year’s Irish Breeders’ Classic.

“He’s a bit of a character, but he has plenty of jump and possesses any amount of ability. He’ll definitely be going down the show jumping route. We have plenty of horses in, are lucky to have some good riders working for us but, our time is no longer our own, as our kids have started competing!”

Amanda Goldsbury finished second here with the ISH mare Cooley Clarissma (88), a six-year-old daughter of Clarimo, who is owned jointly by Cooley Farms and fellow Co Wicklow resident Carol Coad. The latter’s daughter Rosie competed the bay throughout last year and, at the Dublin Horse Show, they finished second in their Intermediate working hunter class and third in the Pony Club members’ combined training championship.

Goldsbury narrowly missed out on qualifying the ISH gelding KHH Romanov Park as, also on 87 marks, the Hannah Bayfield-owned, Jonny Steele-ridden Cosmic Dancer, a six-year-old daughter of Lagans OBOS Quality, who qualified for both Balmoral and Dublin in 2024, had a higher mark for scope (28 to 27).

“We were very pleased with how our first qualifiers for the popular performance Irish Draught, ridden Connemara and Connemara working hunter classes went at the Meadows Equestrian Centre at the weekend,” commented the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s Business Development Executive, Carolyn Greene. “They were all well-supported, as were the Star of the Future qualifiers, which have been running for some years now.”

There are three Connemara qualifiers remaining, all at weekends in the south, and four Draught and Star of the Future qualifiers. Entries should be made to the various venues and further details are on the Balmoral Show website.