THERE was a total entry of 87 for the three flat Connemara classes at Tullylish last Saturday, when the Stevenson family hosted the first of four Dublin Horse Show qualifiers, and the judges were Jane Somerville and Damien Gill. Five ponies qualified in each class.

Two of the classes were for ponies aged six and upwards with the first being for riders who had attained their 17th birthday by January 1st. Here, north Co Dublin’s Ciara Mullen partnered the winner, Zoe Price’s Lough Derg Star who, under his Randalstown owner, won the four and five-year-old final at Dublin last August. The six-year-old by Glencarrig Joe was bred in Co Clare by Marie Collins out of her Tynagh Miller mare Sellernane Beauty.

In the class for riders aged 10 to 17, the honours went to Amira Curran riding her father Daryl’s Caherpuca Chappy, a combination who recently won the ridden Connemara championship at Balmoral and, last year, their final at Dublin where they were reserve champions. Bred in Co Galway by Michael and Kendra Rabbitte, the seven-year-old grey gelding is by Coolin America out of Loughfadda Darling (by Rebel Justice).

Third in similar company at Balmoral, Co Kildare’s Sadhbh O’Connor and her mother Aoife’s Teach Mór Sparrow won Saturday’s four and five-year-old class, which attracted 38 entries. The 2020 dun gelding by Blakehill Sparrow was bred by Paraic Folan out of Kelly’s Hero by Commanding Hero.