IT was a most memorable week for Robbie Fallon’s Cashelbay Stud when, after winning the in-hand Supreme Championship on Wednesday with Cashelbay Kate, his home-bred stallion Cashelbay Rocket went on to claim the ridden championship under Michael Harty on Thursday at the Connemara Pony Show in Clifden.

On the way to being judged overall champion by Judy Cazabon and Sandra Bucknell, Harty and Cashelbay Rocket won the ridden stallion class, which they also won during the last running of the show in 2019, beating off tough competition from Joe Burke’s Bank Timber ridden by Grace McDonagh.

By Cashelbay Cruise out of Cashelbay Misty (Ashfield Bobby Sparrow), 13-year-old Rocket is no stranger to big success under saddle having been crowned champion Connemara at the 2019 Dublin Horse Show, a title he was back to defend this week, and a winner at HOYS in 2018.

Fallon was full of praise for his right hand man and rider, saying: “I don’t know if words can do justice to how lucky I am to have Michael working with me. He is like a son to me. It is always obvious that our achievements mean as much to him as they do to me. Our plan is that Michael will continue the Cashelbay Stud into the next generation.”

The reserve champion was Rachel Flynn’s 10-year-old gelding Fiery Diplomat (Gleann Rua Maxwell – Magic Minnie) who, ridden by Aoife Flynn, won the class for ponies ridden by a rider aged between 10 and 16 years old.

This year’s classes took place in Ring One after the decision to spread the show over four days. It was noted that the bigger arena was nicer for the ridden ponies, however the perception was that there were less people there to watch the ridden than when it is held on the same day as the in-hand classes.

The first class on Thursday morning was for four- and five-year-old ridden ponies won by Pauline Dahill riding Carmel Melody’s Nire Valley Count (Glancarrig Knight – Nire Valley Laurin).

Special cup

It was particularly special for Grace Maxwell Murphy to win the six to eight-year-old class as she also collected the Beatrice Maxwell Murphy Cup, in memory of her late mother. She stood top the line with her own and husband William McMahon’s seven-year-old gelding Addrigoole Andre (Frederiksminde Hazy Match – Grey Rock Musty), bred by Kevin Nally.

Just five combinations came forward for the class for riders over 16 but under 21 and it was the same winners as in 2019, Ballylee Castle Prince (Slackport Prince – Killoughter Jug), this time ridden by Sadhbh O’Connor who won the ridden championship in Balmoral earlier this year.

Pauline Dahill lead the victory lap once again in the riders over 21 class, this time aboard Danny Flynn and Claire Lacy’s Hazelrock Twist, a six-year-old mare by Glencarrig Prince who is out of the Currachmore Cashel mare Hazelrock Arís.

It was the mare’s second win in as many days as her owner Claire Lacy handled her to win the six and seven-year-old mare class the previous day.

A new class for 2022 was the 138cm or under class to be ridden by a rider aged 10 or over. There were just four entries and the red rosette went the way of Ellie Rogan with Jane Hancock’s 13-year-old mare Rineen Millers Melody (I Love You Melody – Tinker Bell), and the pair also went on to win the class for riders under 14s. The lead-rein class was won by Ardsbeg Spirit, ridden by five-year-old Zara Crosby Hanley.

The last class before the championship was the ladies side saddle which attracted just two entries and was won by Kate Horgan riding Jane Dalrymple’s Kinamara Laura (Cashelbay Chip – Lady Sparrow).