IN a year when young horse class entries have been worryingly low, the All-Ireland championship at Bannow and Rathangan bucked that trend on Thursday, when it attracted 21 quality three-year-olds.

Taking the top spot in a completely re-scrambled line-up was the Sharon Kelly Murphy-owned Annaghmore Dunkirk, ahead of Paula Howard’s Tullabeg Hello, the highest-placed filly in this year’s Bannow final.

In third place was Julie Radden’s home-bred Master Clinton and, like the champion, is another by HHS Cornet.

To mark 25 years support from longtime sponsors, Galway Crystal and Belleek China, a special souvenir booklet, also containing the 2024 finalists list, was prepared by the show committee’s Liz Freeman and Betty Stafford.

Former winning owners were invited to Thursday’s final, where, before the All-Ireland final judging began, these booklets and Galway Crystal mementoes were presented to them.

Owners spanned from Denis Collins, who won the inaugural final with April Sting in 1999, to Irish showring legend Dessie Gibson, whose Bannow champions include the 2023 winner, Sort Code.

Champion

The 2024 champion is owned by equine physio Sharon Kelly Murphy, who bought the Bannow champion as a foal from his midland’s breeder, Aoife Healion. Produced for the showring by Hurst Show Horses, Annaghmore Dunkirk (HHS Cornet x HHS Flo Echo) was the Dublin reserve young horse champion in 2023, as a two-year-old.

Paula Howard’s Tullabeg Hello (Hiello x Tullabeg Penny), bred by Nicholas Cousins, also has form, having won the Balmoral young horse champion title in May.

This year’s judges were cross-channel racehorse trainer Chris Gordon and Ballyogue Stud owner John Lenihan.

“I was very happy with the standard. I thought we had to work hard and we’re very happy with the decisions we made in the end,” commented Lenihan.

“It’s wonderful to be invited over to a show like this; great atmosphere and a wonderful show. Sadly, we don’t have enough of them in England,” added Gordon.

Martin Heydon, T.D, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) officially opened the show.

“Whatever about organising a show, that can have 25,000 people at it, managing a committee of 60 volunteers is a job in itself and 500 volunteers here on the day. It just goes to show how much this show means to the people of Wexford and the south-east,” Heydon said.

Full report in next week’s issue.