Margie McLoone

HUGE numbers attended the four qualifiers for the Berney Bros Saddlery Connemara performance hunter championships at this year’s Dublin Horse Show and the intense competition continued in Ring 2 on the opening day of the RDS equine extravaganza.

Disappointingly, there were two eliminations for falls in the five to seven-year-old class, but there were also six clear rounds in front of California’s Karen Healey, who very much enjoyed her session in the centre of the ring, while Britain’s Jane Holderness-Roddam assessed conformation.

Winner of this class last year with Benny Liath, Killinchy’s Emily McGowan brought up a double on Rathbane Legend, a seven-year-old Tulira Robuck gelding who was bred in Ardrahan by Padraig Gardiner out of the Crusheen Comet mare Ballyglass Lily. The grey was crowned champion on a good score of 267.5.

McGowan (18), who is trained by Richard Iggulden, got Rathbane Legend as a three-year-old. They have been enjoying a good season with wins at the Northern Ireland Festival and Balmoral. The rider is due to start studying agriculture at Harper Adams in the autumn.

Orla O’Brien (15), from Camolin, claimed the reserve spot with her mother Deirdre’s Glenayre Silver Fox gelding Gilobrien Prince (260), who has amassed 71 SJI points under Orla and her sister Aine.

The O’Briens also compete with the grey on the Irish Pony Club scene as members of the Shillelagh Branch.

Healey remained in the centre of the ring for the eight to 15-year-old class but Karen O’Connor took over from Holderness-Roddam to judge conformation.

McGowan made a good bid to win this championship, also on Benny Liath, with a joint-leading flat score of 68. However, she also had a fence down jumping and lost vital marks for balance and harmony for a completion score of 258, some way off the winner’s total of 266.5.

To huge cheers, the tri-colour sash went around the neck of the Hannah Gordon-ridden Black Shadow (266.5), who gave owner Liam Lynskey a first win in this competition after many placings. The Derryronane Stud owner was very emotional after the class.

“This is a very special pony,” he said of the 12-year-old Silver Shadow grey. “I bought him as a two-year-old and everything he did as a youngster was thanks to the Scott family in Barnfield, particularly the late Deirdre Scott, who got me into working hunters and performance.

“He is now passing on his ability to his offspring as two of his sons qualified for the green hunter at Clifden last year, one has qualified for this year, while two of his stallion sons have been fully approved.”

The champion was bred in Errislannan by Raymond Conneely out of the Milford Siskin mare Tawin Ballinvoucher. Hannah Gordon, a sister of international show jumper Jonathan Gordon and more than useful over the coloured poles herself, managed to qualify a couple of others for Lynskey in spite of working as a physiotherapist in the Free Hospital in London.

The championship was dominated by yards from the west, with Letterfrack’s Caitriona Curran taking the reserve spot on Charlie Of Blakehill who finished on 260, as did the Edwina O’Connor-ridden Agharanny Minstrel, but the former had the better jumping score.

“We’ve had him since he was three and he does everything, registered jumping, pure dressage and working hunters,” said Curran of her eight-year-old Coosheen Stormboy gelding, who was bred near Spiddal by Joan Clancy out of the Champion Bob mare Atlantic Lady Joan.

Curran is trained by her father Ron who used to be involved in racing. She began competing Charlie Of Blakehill in registered jumping this year and he has picked up 11 SJI points in just five starts.