THURSDAY is traditionally the day for Irish Draught fans to descend on Ring 1 and it will be quite a Dublin marathon for both exhibitors and spectators alike, with the mare and foal classes again split throughout the day.

First up at 10.45am is the young mare class for three or four-year-olds and it was from this class that last year’s mare champion emerged in Grace Maxwell Murphy’s Gleann Rua For Love (Cappa Amadeus). Neither she or the 2023 reserve champion and older mare class winner: Padraig Bohan’s Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom (Coolcronan Wood) appear to be back this year.

However, the Mohill family have two entries in the opening mare class: Gortfadda Diamonds (Inisfree The Iron Cross) and Whitefield Gabby (Carrickcottage Star) and their Gortfadda Heigh Ho (Heigh Ho Dubh) in the second mare class (scheduled for 11.45am).

The blue ribbon winners in the 2023 mare classes: Jack Murphy’s Castlegate Perfect Illusion (Barnaview Grosvenor Lad) and his mother Mary’s Fuerty Princess (Welcome Emperor) are both entered again. Interestingly, there’s another family connection as Fuerty Princess, the 2019 Irish Draught champion mare at Dublin, is the dam of the young pretender to her throne.

Western owners are great supporters of the Irish Draught classes at Dublin with Seamus Sloyan’s former prizewinner Silver View (Fast Silver), now in the ownership of Des McDonnell, and Jimmy Noone’s pair of Crusheen Breeze (Coolcronan Wood) and her Tors Gentleman Farmer daughter Crusheen Luna amongst the entries.

The Eileen Parkhill Trophy will then be presented to the champion mare immediately after both classes, before the parade of Irish Draught stallions. Then judging resumes at 5.40pm for the foal classes before the Draught foal championship is judged at approximately 6.30pm.

This year’s judges? Visiting German judge Marc Hahne from Verden and Jane Hall from Warwickshire.