TWO qualifiers for the ‘Star of the Future’ performance horse championship at Balmoral Show were held in the past week, the first at Gransha Equestrian last Sunday and the second at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday.

At the Stuart family’s Co Down venue, well-known Co Meath young horse producer, and auctioneer and valuer, John Bannon won the five-year-old section with his Irish Sport Horse gelding Chance Given (74 marks) who has 10 Show Jumping Ireland points to his credit.

Ryan Hopper was narrowly beaten into second on the ISH mare Dstud Flirtation (73.5). This bay by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Bernhard, is owned by the USA’s Kylie Cahoon who is based with Joseph Murphy. Somewhat off the pace, Tara Dixon qualified in third on board her mother Karen’s ISH gelding Smart One (62), by the Holstein sire Ringwood Cassero, who competed in three EI90 classes last season.

Bannon purchased his winner as an unbroken three-year-old from fellow Royal County young horse producer, Caroline Lynch. The bay is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Tolan R and was bred in Co Roscommon by Jimmy Murray out of the Golden Cliff mare Ganaveens Glory.

“We didn’t do a whole lot with him at four but did jump in some of those HSI development classes last backend,” said Bannon who also has a four-year-old to bring out this season. “I really like the way they judge the flat phase in this series as horses are assessed on their movement and their potential to do a nice test rather than be marked for their performance in an arena.

“I’ll take him to the final and I’m looking forward to competing at the show as the last time I did, when it could well have been on Ballylynch Adventure, the show was still in the old Balmoral! After that, I’ll aim him and the four-year-old at the Young Eventhorse Series.”

There was a clear-cut winner in the six- to eight-year-old qualifier where Co Down’s Jessica Perry completed on a total of 69.5 marks with her ISH mare, Lisnasure. A six-year-old daughter of the ISH stallion Beach Ball, the winner was bred near Banbridge by Brian Clinghan out of the Hermes de Reve mare Lisnarree.

“Brian did an excellent job starting the mare who I bought just over a year and a half ago during lockdown,” said Perry, a charity worker from Donaghadee, who describes herself as a lifelong show jumper who is having to reassess life as an event rider.“We benefitted from the late September date of Balmoral last season and qualified for the four and five-year-old performance class which was our first venture into the Main Arena which was an amazing experience. The course was so impressive and challenging it whetted our appetite to return this year.

“We mainly show jumped at the start of the year on the registered circuit, but Zuri’s love of all things cross-country shone through as we continued our schooling. She lights up when she sees any jump but in particular cross-country style fences and loves the grass under her hooves!

“So, that has changed our plans for this year and we are going to explore the eventing world a bit more, although we won’t completely leave show jumping behind. Zuriis still young and I want to take our time in developing her to her full potential.”

Shane Doyle finished some way adrift in second with Michelle Strange’s Doyles Romeo (59), a six-year-old by The Hawk, who had qualified for the Northern Ireland Festival the previous day at Ardnacahsel, and the third qualifying ticket went to Hannah Blakely with Jane Allen Collins’s ISH mare Lougherne Kingfisher (57.5), a six-year-old grey by Colestus.

Charlton scores

Co Kilkenny-based Kathy Charlton of Class Event Horses has produced some top-notch eventers over the years and hopefully has another on her hands in the ISH gelding Class Cut Diamond (76), winner of the five-year-old Balmoral qualifier at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday.

Here, Luca Bortolamei placed second on Carol Gee’s ISH gelding Fernhill Count On Me (74), a grey son of Chacoa, and Aubrey Chapman finished third with John Clancy’s home-bred Sleehaun Dancer (70.5), a grey ISH gelding by Numero Cruise.

Class Cut Diamond, who finished fourth in an EI90 for four-year-olds on his only EI start last season, is by the recently-deceased Selle Français stallion Diamant de Semilly. The grey was bred in Co Clare by Eileen Mulconroy out of the Ard VDL Douglas mare Diamonds For Douglas (CSI3*). The dam’s now three-year-old, a colt by Air Jordan Z, was the top-priced lot at the Select Foal Sale in Barnadown in 2019.

The judge for the Balmoral series is Janet Murray whose final winner this week was Jo Andrews’s owner/ridden The Peak Panther who topped the six- to eight-year-old leaderboard at Wexford Equestrian on 77 marks.

A seven-year-old ISH gelding by the Dutch Warmblood sire Orestus, Andrews’s winner was bred by Jim O’Connell out of the Womanizer mare Womans Heart. He has accumulated eight Show Jumping Ireland points, the final two at Killossery Lodge Stud earlier this month while, last Sunday, he finished seventh, on his dressage score, in the EI100 at Blackstairs. In 2021, The Peak Panther competed seven times under Eventing Ireland rules, winning an EI100 at Blackstairs (3) in August and rounding off the season with two seventh-placed finishes, one in an EI110 for six-year-olds at Punchestown in October.

“I actually broke him for a girl and then bought him from her just over a year ago,” said Garristown, Co Dublin-based Andrews. “I’m aiming him at the CCI2-S at Millstreet in June and I think it will be really good for him to experience the crowds and atmosphere at Balmoral before then.”

Lillie-Mai Berry finished second on the eight-year-old Tarjassi gelding Skylanna Scatman (70.5), who finished second twice in 11 runs in point-to-points. This combination has been represented Loreto Wexford at novice level in the interschools’ show jumping circuit. On the same score, Olivia Forrestal placed third on the ISH gelding Wheres Romeo, a six-year-old Silvano bay who picked up eight SJI points in five outings last year.