THE last of four qualifiers for the performance Irish Draught and Connemara classes at next month’s Dublin Horse Show was held last Saturday at Rincoola where, had it been a day earlier or a day later, it might not have gone ahead.

Fortunately, a strong wind overnight helped dry up the heavy rain that fell on the McGahern family’s Co Longford venue on Friday and, while it returned on Sunday and delayed the tidying up process, the qualifier, and the series, was wrapped up by then.

Oldtown, Co Dublin rider Ivan Ryan is on a bit of a roll at present and followed up his good results at the Flavours of Fingal County Show seven days earlier by winning Section A of the four and five-year-old performance Irish Draught class on My Springview Diamond who had just failed to qualify at Forth Mountain and Tullylish.

The five-year-old Prescotts Diamond gelding, who is owned by Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony, was bred in Co Tipperary by Jerry Fogarty and is the only horse registered on CapallOir out of the Star Kingdom mare My Springview Star. On a total of 231 points, Ryan and My Springview Diamond were the sole qualifiers out of this section where Sive Ryan finished second on her own Emperor John (227.5).

There were 13 starters in that class and 12 in Section B where Alice Griffin narrowly topped the leaderboard on J.J. Bowe’s Patrickswell Danny (231).

The same connections finished third at the RDS last August with Hunting Sun and will be hoping for an improved result with this Baltydaniel Silver Fox four-year-old who was bred in Co Roscommon by Seamus Biesty out of Cillcean Holly (by Holycross).

As he was just a point adrift in second, Duncan McFayden also booked an RDS ticket on Tom Moran’s Monards Dark Hero (230). Another four-year-old, this grey is by Gortfree Hero out of the Coolcronan Wood mare Crummy Dynamic Cruise.

Secured tickets

Three horses who contested the six-year-old and upwards performance Irish Draught class at Balmoral in May secured tickets on the final day of qualifying for a similar class at Dublin.

In Section A, Craughwell’s Maria McNamara finished first on her father Tom’s Shanbally Catchphrase (240 points) while Inch’s Edwina O’Connor partnered her own Ashwood Reggie (239.5) into second. The pair had finished in reverse order at the RUAS show.

Shanbally Catchphrase, a six-year-old Heigh Ho Dubh gelding who finished fourth in Dublin last August, was bred in Co Offaly by John Delahunt out of Altnastar Blue Belle (by Cappa Cochise).

The 2014 Keamore Diamond Clover gelding Ashwood Reggie, who has 161 Showjumping Ireland points to his credit, was bred in Co Wicklow by David Miley out of the Fast Silver mare Beara Lady.

As Diarmuid Ryan had two horses qualified for the Irish Draught classes at Dublin, Emma Jackson came in for the winning ride in Section B on Mary Margaret Roche’s home-bred Assagart Hope And Glory (239.5%), the only qualifier from 12 starters.

The six-year-old grey mare by Lansdown, who was fifth in Balmoral, is out of Kingstead Fiona (by Huntingfield Rebel).