KEVIN Babington’s five-star-performing mare Shorapur has arrived in Ireland to start her breeding career with Greg and Cheryl Broderick at Ballypatrick’s breeding stable in Co Tipperary.

The 15-year-old Stakkato Gold-sired mare had an incredible career under Tipperary native Babington, including a runner-up finish in the 2015 Dublin Grand Prix. The pair jumped a double clear round in the five-star Nations Cup in Ocala in 2015 to help the Irish team to victory and other big results include victory in the four-star Grand Prix at Thermal in 2016, winning the four-star World Cup qualifier at Bridgehampton and the three-star Grand Prix in Kentucky.

The pair won a three-star 1.50m class at the beginning of August 2019, just weeks before an accident at the Hamptons sadly left Babington with a spinal cord injury.

Speaking to The Irish Field from his base in New Jersey, USA, this week, Babington said: “I am not a breeder myself and I have been very lucky sending other horses over to Greg and Cheryl. Cheryl is such an expert in the world of breeding and I think Shorapur is such a high-quality mare and l want to give her every chance.

“Cheryl had mentioned to me a few years ago that, if we ever did retire the mare, they would love to have her in Ireland. Also, it is a nice life for them in Ireland, because of the climate too. Our summers get very hot, it’s not a great life for them to be turned out all with the bugs and mosquitos.

“The other thing is, with the combination of Cheryl and Greg, it is a great place to get the young horses started. America is very expensive to bring on young horses. The combination of the breeding programme and getting them started in the sport is another plus of sending her back,” Kevin added.

He is very fond of the mare, saying: “She has so much quality. Even in her last year before the accident, she had an incredible run of results.” The plan is to cover the mare with Ballypatrick’s resident three-year-old stallion Rock’n Roll Ter Putte and take embryos.

Kevin is excited by the prospect of breeding ISH horses out of his top performer. “I’ve been very very lucky with Irish horses over the years, horses like Carling King, Super Chilled and Mark Q, so I feel like it is my turn to give a little back to the Irish breeding programme. Even though she is not Irish, if she can breed Irish horses that means a lot to me.”

Asked how his recovery is going, Babington, who was just out of his physio session, said he is “getting a little better slowly but surely”. However, he did report plenty of movement in his right arm, almost to the point where he can drive the wheelchair himself, and twinges in his legs. Having come off the ventilator, his voice and lungs are also getting stronger.