IRISH-bred horses and ponies shone on the opening day of the 2023 Horse of the Year Show at the NEC Arena in Bermingham on Wednesday.

In the Top Spec Arena, Amanda Sharman’s eight-year-old Connemara stallion Castle Kestrel kept up a phenomenal run of form when ridden by Britain’s Lucy Glover to win the National Pony Society/Baileys Horse Feeds Mountain & Moorland Ridden Connemara Pony of the Year.

The grey won the M&M supreme championship at the London International Horse Show last December and the championship at Royal Windsor earlier this summer.

By Glencarrig Knight, he is out of Castle Melody (I Love You Melody) and was bred at the Castle Connemara Pony stud in Clifden by Henry O’Toole who, having missed seeing him win previously, was ringside on Wednesday to witness the triumph. Produced by Glover since he was three, Castle Kestrel was sold by O’Toole as a foal to Cian Geoghegan of Blakehill Stud and then purchased by Sharman from PJ Watson.

Kestrel won on a score of 88 marks, five marks clear of second placed Skellorn Déjà vu and Harrison Taylor, winners here in 2021. The British-bred pony is owned by Kerry Wainwright. Third place went to another Irish-bred and owned pony in Hazelrock Twist. Bred by Kieran McGrath from Claregalway and owned by Claire Flynn, the Glencarrig Prince-sired mare was ridden by Sue Deakin.

“This is the one we wanted,” Glover commented, saying she does feel extra pressure after winning so much and adding that it was very special that his breeder travelled to watch him in the flesh.

‘Pocket rocket’ champion

Wednesday evening’s Sports Horse Breeding of Great Britain working hunter of the year championship went the way of Matthew Cooper riding Bellevue Tomboy, a 15-year-old Laughton’s Flight gelding who was bred in Armagh by journalist Ruth Loney out of the Hail Station mare Bellevue Toy Story.

Over a difficult track, which produced only six clears from 37 starters, Bellvue Tomboy saw off strong opposition from the 2019 winner Hayden Hankey riding another Irish-bred, the Baden Powell-bred Curraghgraigue Coevers Quality (OBOS Quality x Coevers Diamond Boy) who earned 55 Showjumping Ireland points under Darragh Ryan before being sold to Hankey.

Judges Jane Hall and Alicia Pritchard branded 15.2hh Bellevue Tomboy, who has been runner-up here in the past, as a “pocket rocket”.

The Irish-bred Thoroughbred Reality Bites won the SEIB Racehorse To Riding Horse Of The Year Championship in the main arena. Owned and ridden by Laura Tylor, the 12-year-old by Mahler was bred by Anne O’Brien and ran at one point-to-point in Ireland – Belharbour in 2016 which he won – before being sold to the UK.

Thursday saw the 11-year-old Irish Draught Shanbally Legacy top the Hamilton Tarmac Small Show Hunter of the Year championship for the second year in-a-row under Claire Oliver. The chesnut gelding by Pride of Meath was bred by Joseph Egan out of Kilthomas Lass. They saw off Vicky Smith and the Irish Sport Horse Irish Invention (Gallant Clover x Sulaafah), bred by John Spain, in second place.

Morning Star

On Friday morning, Robert Walker guided MHS Morning Star to win the Lightweight Show Hunter of the Year in the Andrews Bowen main arena. The Quidam Junior eight-year-old gelding is owned by the great supporter of Irish horses, Jill Day, and bred by Sinead Brennan out of the Cavalier Royale mare MHS Cavaliers Daughter.

The gelding, who was champion three-year-old at the Dublin Horse Show in 2018, won the championship at Royal Windsor in May. He saw off the Padraig Gleeson-bred five-year-old Traditional Irish Sport Horse Ballyvoureen Walkabout (Emperor Augustus x Cougar) in second place, ridden by Edward Young.

Also impressing on Friday was Bloomfield Eloquence who, for the second consecutive year, won the Middleweight Show Hunter of the Year class under Alice Homer for owner Liz Prowting. The nine-year-old Michael J Kavanagh-bred gelding is by Watermill Swatch.

Extensive coverage from HOYS in next week’s paper.