IN April, the counties of Antrim and Kilkenny met in a round of the ‘Leinster’ senior hurling championship at Nowlan Park, where the Cats won easily 5-30 to 0-13.

The result was a lot closer between the Smyth and Murphy yards in the outside rings at last week’s Balmoral Show and, ultimately, in the Main Arena. There, Gowran producer Brian Murphy claimed the Creightons supreme hunter championship with Amanda Benson’s Madra Rua, who was ridden by Aimee Stunt, while Nutts Corner-based Jamie Smyth had to settle for the reserve slot on board Polly Coles’s Endeavour R, who went into the show as the reigning title-holder.

Anyone who had watched the action in Horse Ring 1 on Wednesday, but not what happened on Thursday afternoon, may have been surprised when seeing the results of the different championships.

However, it’s always best to remember that the championships are a separate class while, in this case, there was an enforced change of judge as Hickstead’s David Ingle, who had impressed with his riding on day one - as had Oliver Hood - was injured in a fall from the first horse he mounted in the Main Arena. He was replaced by Cheshire’s Vicky Smith, whose 14-year-old skewbald gelding Bart won Wednesday’s Bluefrog coloured horses’ class under Ciara Mullen.

Madra Rua’s road to glory at Balmoral is as follows. On Wednesday, the five-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Loughehoe Guy finished second in Section A of the split older lightweight class to Ballymoney Park’s nine-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding MBF Quick Decision.

The following afternoon, the chesnut first claimed the lightweight championship ahead of the Smyth-ridden ISH gelding Bannside Dancer, Polly Coles’ 2018 Legaland Darco II bay, who had won Section B of the older lightweight class on Wednesday. Finally, after much deliberation on Thursday, Stunt rode forward to claim the supreme hunter title with various members of the Creighton family on hand for the presentation of prizes.

“Aimee and I gave a good few quid for the horse, when we bought him last autumn as an unbroken four-year-old,” said Murphy. “We broke him over the winter and sold him to Amanda Benson, who lives in Gloucestershire, but also has a place near here.

Pumps

“She pumps a good few quid into the game and has been a great supporter of mine, so I’m delighted for her that the horse has turned out so well. This was just his second show. He won his class and was reserve champion at Wexford Equestrian over the Bank Holiday weekend earlier this month. He’s on a bit of a break now and will probably take in one or two more shows before Dublin. He’s a proper old-fashioned type of lightweight.”

Madra Rua was bred in Co Westmeath by Paul Cleary, who had purchased the supreme champion’s dam, Glenkeerin Danceintherain, as a three-year-old from John and Maria Melvin. That 2013 Crosstown Dancer mare was bred in Co Cavan by Teresa Reilly out of Kilquilly Douglas (by Ard VDL Douglas).

“I showed her that year,” said Cleary, “and she was champion young horse at Athenry and Mullingar. Madra Rua is her first foal. He was shown once at Athenry and won. I sell all my stock as foals and he was bought by Michael Murphy in Co Wexford, who sells a lot of horses to Jill Day.”

Cleary will be at Dublin to see Madra Rua and hopefully to watch his son James compete, should the latter qualify with either, or preferably both, of his 138cm and 148cm ponies. Of more immediate concern to Cleary senior is tomorrow’s Ormond point-to-point in Ballingarry, where his Elusive Pimpernel gelding bay Thisthatandd’other runs in the six-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Murphy himself finished in the reserve slot twice in the Main Arena on Thursday, with the traditionally-bred Farmhill Inspirational Alex, a Rosier gelding who was bred in Co Cork by Edmund Vaughan out of the Irish Draught mare Muckross Lorna (by Fast Silver).

Winners of their class on Wednesday, Murphy and the grey stood second in the middleweight championship to the older class winner, the traditionally-bred (Creevaghstables) Masterplan, who was ridden for Kieran Ryan by his son, Ivan.

This seven-year-old Scrapman chesnut was bred in Co Westmeath by Pat Gavin out of Princess Boo (by Master Imp). Murphy and Farmhill Inspirational Alex also had to settle for reserve in the four-year-old championship to the lightweight class second, Glandoran Thunder Storm.

This ISH gelding by Bannvalley Silver Dancer is owned by George Chapman, whose son Aubrey both rode and bred the grey, who is out of the Thunder van de Zuuthoeve mare, Daisy van de Zuuthoeve.

Trophy

Wednesday’s four-year-old lightweight class was won by the Rachel Moore-ridden Drumlane Limited Edition, an ISH mare by Cornetini. The bay was bred out of the Cavaliere mare Drumlane Rose by her owner, David Sloan, who was presented with the Pearl Creighton Trophy, as winner of the highest-placed home-bred exhibit in the hunter classes.

Briefly, riding Amanda Benson’s home-bred Flurry Knox, a five-year-old Irish Draught gelding by Gortfree Lakeside Lad, Murphy finished reserve in the small hunter championship to the Katie Crozier-owned and ridden Darrowby Cougar, a four-year-old black gelding with no recorded pedigree, who Crozier purchased unbroken last August from Reid Finlay.