THE Ireland West Foal Championship was held last Sunday week at Claremorris Equestrian Centre where, despite Storm Ashley closing in, the show went ahead indoors. Championship prize money of €5,000 was provided by the HSI Breeding Grant Initiative, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Winner of the CPBS colt foal championship was Pearce Gibbons’ grey by Bohola Mirah, while the filly class went the way of Tomas Dolan’s Drummin (Kippure Colmbus x Cashelbay Prince).

Majorie Hardiman from Oranmore, Co Galway, won the sports pony foal championship with Creganna Trubadour (Kilconickny Cashel Knight x HSF Lucky Boy).

Denis McGrath's chesnut filly by Dunsandle Diamond was the Irish Draught filly champion at the Ireland West Foal Championship in Claremorris. Pictured with judge Kieran McGrath and show representative Liam Lynskey \ Chloe Goggins Photography

Noel Forde claimed the Irish Draught colt championship with a liver chesnut by Ballagh Bouncer out of the Westmeath Lad mare Mental Block. The filly section went the way of Denis McGrath’s Dunsandle Diamond out of an It’s the Quiet Man mare.

Smokey Captain, a Z7 Ascot colt, owned by Patrick McGrath, won the sport horse colt championship and was later sold to Athlone dealer Jim Derwin for €4,000. Mayo breeder Sarah McDonnell’s Nice Queen was the sport horse filly champion.

She is by Vancouver out of CBI Ice Queen and had much success this summer, including winning the Breeders’ Championship show jumping section at the Dublin Horse Show in August.