THE 24TH ANNUAL Cavan Indoor Championships show runs from next Tuesday, September 18th until Sunday, September 23rd. What began as a four-day event, almost a quarter of a century ago, has now grown to an action-packed six days.
Three thousand entries from 700 horses will provide non-stop entertainment for the expected 8,000 spectators.
Preparations for the event began many weeks ago and, according to Natalie Clarke, who heads up the show office at the centre, the organisation required to run a show this large is a more than full time job.
“For the six days of the show, the office will be open from 8am until 9 or 9.30pm, on the weekend nights when the evening classes take place it can be a lot later.
“It’s a big undertaking to run a show this size and it takes a lot of hard work and planning.
“We opened the bookings for the stables at the centre during the second week in August and all 450 were booked out within a couple of weeks.
“The show brings a huge amount of business to Cavan and we are delighted that the local hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and shops all benefit from the show.
“In turn we have sponsorship from them, The Cavan Crystal Hotel have sponsored our five-year-old Classic for several years now and Hankook Tyres another Cavan business are behind the six and seven-year-old classic.
“Many other businesses and individuals sponsor our classes during the week including Gain Equine Nutrition.
“Friday night’s Auction takes place in Snaffles Bar at 10pm and is in aid of Cavan Cancer Home Care and the November Show Grand Prix.
“Items on offer include coverings by Sligo Candy Boy and Vivant, a €1,500 voucher for Fitzpatrick’s Jewellers, a Stubben Saddle, vouchers for The Cavan Crystal and Radisson Blue Hotels as well as a Solarium to name but a few.
“We have recently updated our computer system in the show office and for the first time this year, results will be available through a link on our website cavanequestrian.com so we are delighted with that.”
The Tuesday and Wednesday of the show are mostly taken up with qualifying classes including the last chance to earn a place in the line-up for the prestigious Cavan Crystal Hotel five-year-old classic and the Hankook six and seven-year-old equivalent.
FOAL SALE
On Thursday evening at 7pm, the Elite Foal Sale of 26 pre-selected Performance foals takes place in the main arena.
The foal selection day was held in mid-August in Cavan. Judges Tiernan Gill and Stuart Clarke saw 80 foals presented on the day and were impressed by many of them.
“Tiernan and I had a very difficult job in selecting just 26 of the 80 foals presented to go forward to the sale.
“The standard was really high with foals, not only by top sport horse stallions, but a large amount of them were out of proven mares that could boast decent competition records themselves, or were at least well connected to proven mares.
“There were a lot of really nice types and I think that the foals that did make the final cut will make for a very impressive sale line-up.”
The foal sale at 7pm on Thursday evening will be the first event of the show will be live streamed.
HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday’s feature class the Hankook six and seven-year-old classic at 7.30pm is always a crowd-pleaser with top jumping from horses on the brink of their Grand Prix careers.
Past winners of this event include 1998 winners Rincoola Abu and Captain Gerry Flynn, a pair that went on to numerous international wins. In 2004 Conor Swail and Rivaal, a horse he sold which went on to compete at the Olympic Games, proved victorious and Clem McMahon and the fabulous Pacino who went on to, in his short international career, be a member of Ireland’s Aga Khan team at the Dublin Horse Show.
Sunday afternoon’s Cavan Crystal five-year-old classic offers a €6,500 prize fund and can boast a number of impressive past winners. These include Dermott Lennon’s World Championship winning mount Liscalgot won the final in 1996, and Clem McMahon’s and Pacino claimed the win in 2009.
Several others on the past winners’ roll have gone on to compete at an international level, earning these classes their reputation as two of the most coveted prizes for a youngsters in Ireland.
Friday night’s feature is the Cavan Indoor Derby. This class is unique as competitors jump from one indoor arena into another, always an exciting class this event offers a different type of competition as riders take on unusual obstacles and challenges.
Also on offer over the six-day event is two rounds of the Top Spec Autumn Grand Prix league. On Saturday the first 1.35 metre round is scheduled to start at 12.30pm while Sunday’s 1.40m is at 5.30pm both in the main arena.
As usual in Cavan, the shopping pavilion will be filled with opportunities to shop to your heart’s content.
The onsite Cladem Equi Store, which celebrates 15 years of business this year, stocks Kingsland, Samshield, Schockemohle Clothing and Tack, Horse first, Fleck and Veredus to name but a few.
Murdock Saddlery will also be there selling new and used saddles, stocking CWD, Take and Saddles, Flexi Tack Lockers, KEC STYLE and Tucci Boots.
Course designers for the event are Germany’s Klaus Holle and Cavan’s Stuart Clarke and the prize for the Leading Rider of the show is a Silver Shadow Horse Solarium.