LURGAN

Show jumping

IT was a 100% repeat success at Lurgan on June 1st, as all four owners had secured early qualification too at last year’s host show: Armagh County.

There’s one change amongst the mares owned by the ‘early birds’ quartet as John Roche has qualified Assagart Fairytale instead this year.

By the thoroughbred sire Coroner out of Assagart Sapphire, she is one of a half-dozen traditionally-bred mares in this year’s field.

Her filly foal is by Carrabis Z, previously competed in some of the Dublin international classes with Richie Moloney.

Greenhall Catwalk is back again for Derry Rothwell, bidding to improve on her reserve place in 2019. By Mermus R, her Cruising dam Millennium Cruise and grand-dam Greenhall Cailin Deas were both winning mares in previous championships and Rothwell has won the Breeders’ Championship a total of three times.

All of Catwalk’s foals to date have been by Dignified van’t Zorgvliet, so no surprise to learn that this year’s colt is also by the Clinton son.

Eventing

Paula Howard won the 2016 championship with Slatequarry Sasha and her Greenan Fort colt. A busy Dublin ahead between her Balmoral young horse champion Tullabeg Hello and her Balmoral and Dublin prize winner regular Dernahatten Out Of Touch. Shes’s by the Group 1 winner Bienamado and with a Touchdown damline while her 2024 colt foal is by the thoroughbred sire Sir Lando.

Kief Queen B was bought after being spotted in the All- Ireland final at Bannow and Rathangan three-year-old final and has proved a shrewd buy since. Yvonne Pearson’s mare has won both the Coote Cup and reserve ridden hunter mare titles at Dublin.

By the thoroughbred Munther and out of the Kings Master-Ricardo Z mare Madame Noir, she has Trinity, her Primary filly foal, at foot.

ATHLONE

Show jumping

Athlone was the lucky qualifier last year for Bridget Devaney’s Emme and her Hardrock VDL colt as they went on to win the Dublin show jumping final. Shown on both occasions by Des McDonnell, his brother John will hope the midlands magic happens again for the Mayo brothers.

John, a first-time finalist, has qualified CBI Ice Queen, by Baltic VDL and her Vancouver filly foal.

John McDonnell with his CBI Ice Queen and her Vancouver foal, held by nephew Johnathon. John’s brother Des showed the winning mare Emme last year and has qualified his own Miss Manhattan this year \ Susan Finnerty

It will also be a first-time Breeders’ Championship appearance for Sinead Fenton’s Galway Bay Amele, the second Mermus R mare we see qualified this year. Her filly foal at foot is by All Road Z and both John and Sinead were amongst the 2023 finalists featured in recent Breeders’ 10 articles.

Eventing

Another touch of déjà vu in the eventing section as both owners had previously qualified here in 2023. Richard Gildea’s Cranny Miss Lancelot topped the Athlone line-up for a second year for her Donegal owner. By Lancelot, she has a Raise You Time Glacier Mint family tree and her colt foal is by the 2022 Croker Cup champion Gibeon.

The other combination to qualify at Athlone is Derry Rothwell’s second Dublin hopeful. Last year, daughter Mary qualified her JVK Lady Marmade and Greenhall foal at Athlone; this year Derry qualified Greenhall Push Button.

Her sire is another nod to Dublin’s thoroughbred stallion class as Financial Reward won the 2011 Croker Cup. Push Button’s 2024 foal is by the Irish Sport Horse stallion, Cavalier Land.

Mary and Derry Rothwell with their Greenhall Push Button and her Cavalier Land foal after qualifying at Athlone Show in June \ Susan Finnerty

CHARLEVILLE

Show jumping

It’s a case of 50/50 new face and ‘been there, done that’ for two delighted owners in the show jumping section from Charleville in late June. Eileen Furlong’s light grey Bonnie will be one of the most distinctive to pick out in Ring 1 and was previously show jumped by her son David.

By the Luidam-Cruising cross Foxglen Cruise Control, her colt foal is by Gabriel Slattery’s 1.60m horse, Z7 Ascot.

It will be a return visit to Ring 1 for Gina Heaps’ Carrowgar Je T’Aime, by Billy Twomey’s late 1.60m performer Je T’Aime Flamenco and with a Coolcorran Cool Diamond damline. She qualified at Charleville last year and again has another Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve filly foal at foot, this one named Carrowgar Dawn.

Emlyn Heaps looks just a little pleased that wife Gina Heaps’ mare Carrowgar Je T’Aime qualified at Charleville for another Breeders Championship appearance \ Susan Finnerty

Eventing

It took him nearly 30 years but there wasn’t the proverbial cow milked in the Déise County after Horse Show week when Waterford dairy farmer Richard Drohan finally won the ‘Breeders’ at Dublin last year.

He’s back again with Golden Moments, a Golden Master - Pointilliste mare and this year’s colt foal is by the Giants Causeway son, Island Commander.

And Drohan will be doubly represented as he also qualified Miss Graceland, the Cavalier Land mare he specifically bought as a future Breeders’ Championship mare. She’s by Cavalier Land, sire of two foals in this year’s final and her filly foal is by another of Clohamon Stud’s stallions in Move To Strike.

WEST CLARE

Show jumping

On to Kilrush for the final chance to qualify in early July. There’ll be some friendly sibling rivalry in the show jumping section as Des McDonnell brought out his own Tyson mare Miss Manhattan and her Vancouver foal.

This combination topped the line-up, setting up a nice Mayo match between he and brother John, who qualified at Athlone.

Another north-west combination through from West Clare is Laura Foody’s Fidachta Tulip and her Glynnwood Cornet colt. Third-level student Laura, another of this year’s Breeders’ Championship newcomers to feature in the Breeders’ 10 series, described how the Cougar mare was her ‘step-up’ from her 138cm show jumping pony.

Eventing

Traditional breeding is represented this year in the final two pairs to qualify at West Clare.

A 2025 wedding is on the horizon for Darragh Glynn and Niamh Varley but another ‘big day’ before then is their Crannaghmore Elusive Lady and her Centennial foal’s appearance at Dublin.

By the 2015 Croker Cup champion Elusive Emir, owned by Niamh’s father John, this mare was the 2018 All-Ireland traditional filly foal champion.

There’s another ‘in-house’ stallion tale in the second West Clare combination Danielle Cusack’s foal is by the family’s Irish Sport Horse stallion Clonaslee Captain Cristo. The dam here is Ballydurn Taylor, by Spirit House. And yes, another Croker Cup former champion as it’s now 20 years since Spirit House won at Dublin for the Foy family.

Some snapshots of this year’s hopefuls. We’ll know who the 2024 winner is next Friday when The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship takes place after the Laidlaw young horse championship. Plus, watch out for the winning combinations in Sunday’s parade of champions in the main arena.