AS ever, there were big entries for the Conn & Fenton Solicitors working hunter classes at last week’s Balmoral Show. The discipline is more popular north than south, but all three non-restricted classes in Arena 1 last Friday afternoon were won by southern exhibitors.

While he was present to enjoy the occasion, Ashbourne’s Ciaran Feldman had to look on as Orla Cassidy partnered his British-bred gelding, KBF Paved With Stars, to first win the seven-year-old and upwards class, and then the championship. Just days after qualifying his Wish Upon A Star chesnut at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan for the Horse of the Year Show, Feldman broke his collarbone in a fall.

In his class and championship, KBF Paved With Stars, who was bred by Michael Cook and Tony Reynolds out of a Maltstriker mare, stood ahead of the Anglo European Studbook-registered Darcy de Chanteloube. This 12-year-old Rotspons Prince MFS bay, who is ridden for Co Wexford’s Melissa O’Connor Murphy by her daughter Jessica, topped the final line-up in the Lowry and Boyd families small horse working hunter class.

Darren ‘Swifty’ Jordan, a whipper-in with the Fingal Harriers who wouldn’t live too far from Feldman, was happy to stay on the ground while Sive Murphy won the four-year-old class on his Irish Draught gelding Seanchai. This son of Gortfree Hero was bred out of her Mountain Pearl mare Richmondlea Dara by Helena Fitzgerald McLoughlin, treasurer of Ashbrook Riding Club.

Alice Copithorne’s drive up from Kinsale proved well worthwhile. On Thursday afternoon, she filled the reserve slot in the heavyweight championship in the Main Arena on her six-year-old ISH gelding Duhallow Sunshine (by WRS Sun Shine) while, roughly 24 hours later, she won the five- and six-year-old working hunter class with the traditional ISH gelding Kipling.

Another six-year-old, this chesnut was bred in Co Limerick by Una O’Donnell, out of the Ghareeb mare Ghareebs Girl, a half-sister to the Chakiris gelding Wonham What Next (CCI3*-L). This season, Copithorne has given Kipling two runs in EI100 classes where, with a small number of cross-country time penalties, he finished sixth of 19 first time out at Crecora and seventh of 31 at Hillcrest.

The Event Technical Services working hunter cob class went the way of Co Wicklow’s Sophie Moy, who was riding her boss Kieran Morrin’s traditional ISH gelding CCS Henry Higgins. This eight-year-old grey by Anbally Star was bred in Co Galway by Patrick Ryan out of the Heigh Ho Dubh mare Hollyfort Dreamer.

“We bought Henry about three years ago,” said Moy, who manages Morrin’s Country Cottage Stables, a livery, lessons and sales yard based in Enniskerry.