CLYDESDALE enthusiasts converged on the McClelland family’s Ballymena Livestock Market on Saturday, December 14th for the Co Londonderry Horse Breeding Society’s 56th Clydesdale Foal Show, where the judge for the day was Jimmy Steel of Jackton Clydesdales, East Kilbride, Scotland.

Steel’s overall champion, foal champion and winner of her senior filly foal class was Geoffrey and Lesley Tanner’s home-bred Downhill Bonnie, who is by Doura Aird Ambition out of the 2016 Carnaff Perfection mare Downhill Daisy.

In her class, the overall champion stood ahead of another daughter of Doura Aird Ambition, John Cross’s Castletown Carla, while the overall reserve and senior champion was the winning two-year-old filly, Croaghmore Daisy. This daughter of Muirton Sabre was also shown by her owner/breeder Sandra Henderson to win the best presented animal prize.

The winner of the opposite sex to the overall champion award went the way of Victor and Raymond Scott’s Glebeview Bill at the Co Londonderry Horse Breeding Society’s 56th Clydesdale Foal Show

The winner of the opposite sex to the overall champion award went the way of Victor and Raymond Scott’s Glebeview Bill, a son of Glebeview Lucky Boy who, en route, was the reserve foal champion and winner of his junior colt foal class.

Broodmare

Reserve to Croaghmore Daisy in the senior championship was Steel’s winner of the broodmare class, David Patterson’s home-bred Agivey First Hope.

This four-year-old bay by Roeshall Apollo is out of the Roeshall Calypso mare Agivey Sophie, who was overall champion here herself in 2018. Garvagh farrier Patterson also won the senior colt foal class with Avigey Benchmark, another by Roeshall Apollo.

David Patterson’s home-bred Agivey First Hope won the broodmare class at the Co Londonderry Horse Breeding Society’s 56th Clydesdale Foal Show

The best supported class on the day was that for junior filly foals, which the Tanners won with Cloghan Maisie (by Doura Aird Ambition), ahead of Darren and Roberta Ryan’s Macfin Flowergirl (by Muirton Sabre). The Ryans hit the target in the yearling filly class with their Glebeview Lucky Boy-sired Hillview Amazing Grace.

The young handlers’ class was won by Finn Todd (Downhill), ahead of Matthew Patton (Masteragwee).

Lewis Kirkpatrick, from Bregagh, Armoy, finished third and also qualified for the Clydesdale Horse Society’s young handlers’ championship at next year’s Royal Highland Show (June 19th to 22nd).

Also on Saturday, prizes were presented for the Northern Ireland Shows Association/Glebeview Clydesdales 2024 Championship, for which points were accumulated at agricultural shows during the summer.

The narrow winner with 24 points to her credit was Darren and Roberta Ryan’s Hillview Amazing Grace, followed by John Cross’s Castletown Clover (23) and Sandra Henderson’s Croaghmore Maureen (20).

Messrs Hanna’s Macfin Highland Queen and Geoffrey and Lesley Tanner’s Downhill Delilah shared fourth place on 15 points, with Keith and Caroline Davison’s Carrickbrack Honey Blossom finishing sixth (12).