THE Stuart family were busy over the Easter weekend, running a Derby Day on Saturday at their Gransha Equestrian Centre outside Bangor where, on Monday, they held a two-phase competition.

Here, our interest centres on Classes 9 and 10 on Saturday which were qualifiers for the Balmoral ‘Star of the Future’ performance horse championships. These will be staged in the Main Arena on the Friday of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s annual show (May 15th to 18th).

The Balmoral-appointed judge for this qualifier was Vicky Teuton, whose task was made all the more pleasant thanks to a glorious spring day, while the going was perfect for the horses. A total of 11 five-year-olds were entered in the 1m class, while there were 16 horses listed in the 1.10m class for six and seven-year-olds.

We are used to seeing the same names of riders and/or producers in these classes, but the regulars had to give way to a new face in the younger horses’ class on Saturday, when Co Donegal’s Ailish McBride won by a seven-point margin on her Irish Sport Horse gelding Tek Time Captain Cruise, whose stable name is Hendricks.

“I was delighted with the win!” said the 24-year-old Creeslough native, who works full-time as a veterinary nurse in a mixed practice in Co Tyrone. She is also a country singer, who has recorded three albums and many music videos. “I bought Hendricks as a three-year-old from my trainer, Victor Preston, who had purchased him from his breeder as a yearling,” revealed McBride.

“We broke him and have been producing him since. He is a Traditional Irish-bred by CC Captain Cruise, a sire who is producing a lot of nice horses for both eventing and show jumping, such as Killossery Kaptain, who is with British event rider Laura Collett.

“Hendricks is a very intelligent horse showing great ability and potential for a five-year-old. He also has a great attitude towards his work. I feel Hendricks could go a long way in the hands of a professional rider. I have only been riding competitively for two years, so it is a great achievement for me, not only to qualify but also to have won the class!

“Last year, we took part in some of the four-year-old Young Eventhorse Series classes for the Dublin Horse Show and I would like to compete him in the five-year-old qualifiers this year. We also competed at Balmoral Show last season in the four-year-old working hunter class, so it is great to be able to return this year and have the opportunity to ride in the Main Arena for the ‘Star of the Future’ championship. I am also entered in the five-year-old working hunter class at Balmoral, which I am looking forward to.

“Hendricks and I have also qualified for the Northern Ireland Festival working hunter finals, which take place at the end of April at Cavan Equestrian Centre (April 26th to 28th). We placed third in a large four-year-old working horse class at NIF last year.”

Top marks

Tek Time Captain Cruise, who was bred in Co Mayo by Peter McHugh out of the Clew Bay Bouncer mare Robeen Rose, completed on 86 (out of 100) marks on Saturday. Next best on 79 and 75 marks respectively were the Jonny Steele-partnered pair of Mezcal and Cosmic Dancer.

The former, an ISH gelding owned by Naomi Buchanan, is by Ganesh Hero Z out of the Camiro de Haar Z mare Kitty Camiro, who comes from the family of the Olympic bronze medal-winning show jumper Irish. Hannah Bayfield’s third-placed ISH mare is by Lagans OBOS Quality out of the Limmerick mare Cosmo Girl, a half-sister to, among others, the 2013 Dublin Horse Show supreme hunter champion, Redemption Ground.

Emily Corbett and Carrick Kilderrys Magic won the Gransha leg of the Balmoral Star of the Future qualifiers in the six and seven-year-old division \ Anne Hughes

Six and seven-year-olds

The result was a lot closer in the six and seven-year-old qualifier, where Emily Corbett came out on top with Tom Jones’ home-bred ISH gelding Carrick Kilderrys Magic (85 marks). The 2017 Carrick Kilderrys Diamond grey is out of the Concorde mare Herbst Jennie B, dam of the 2011 Night Cruise gelding Direct Advance (CCI5*-L), who started this year with a sixth-place finish in a CCI4*-S in Florida.

In second was the Jackson Laing-owned and ridden ISH mare GS Temptation (84), a six-year-old grey by Diamant de Semilly out of Wella (by Canto), while Jonny Steele qualified in third with John Simpson’s Traditional ISH gelding Somerville Springheeled. This 2017 home-bred bay by Uskerty Diamond Lad out of Mystery Again, a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Footstepsinthesand, finished fourth in the final at Balmoral last May.

Carrick Kilderrys Magic, who had six outings under Eventing Ireland rules last season, is on the market. Jones is keen to move the horse along, as he has plenty of youngstock ready to take his place, while Corbett is trying to restrict the number of horses she is competing this year from her Tyrella Sporthorses’ yard while increasing the time she devotes to painting.

“Carrick Kilderrys Magic is really brave cross-country and is a horse for the future,” said Corbett who, unlike the abovementioned Ailish McBride, has ridden in the Main Arena at Balmoral many times. In fact, a photograph of Corbett jumping Joanne Sloan Allen’s WKD Toby there in 2018 (in what was then called the Knotts Bakery young event horse championship) illustrates the ‘Star of the Future’ championship on the Balmoral Show website.