ENGLAND’s Clare Poole was unable to meet her engagement as ride judge for the ridden horse section at the Flavours of Fingal show in Newbridge House and Farm last Saturday, so Co Down’s Rachel Moore obligingly stepped in late to fill the role, alongside Kathy Bowdler (conformation).

Their champion was the Jennifer Kennedy-owned and ridden Moneycross, winner of the very poorly-supported cob class. This professional, much-beribboned grey gelding, who was second in his lightweight class at Dublin last August, is a seven-year-old by the Irish Draught stallion WRS Elvis and was bred in Co Kerry by John McCarthy.

Going through to the championship from a large amateur class was the winning combination of Tara Murphy and another seven-year-old, the John Roche-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Assagart Divine (by Kings Master) and the second-placed pairing of Co Limerick’s Suzanne O’Brien with her ISH gelding Munthers Ranger, a six-year-old Munther bay.

Kennedy also got through in the riding horse class on the Michael Roche-bred Assagart Angel, but this nine-year-old ISH mare, who, too is by Kings Master, would only have carried a blue rosette into the championship, having been beaten in her class by IJ Winsome.

Ridden by Ivan Ryan, the winning five-year-old ISH gelding is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Ulatermo and was bred in Co Laois by David Murphy, out of Rosshaven Silken Lass (by Rosshaven Silken Rouge). The judges selected this chesnut as their reserve champion.

As mentioned elsewhere, the Irish Draught class was won by the Chris Carter-ridden Cloonan Hector, while Margaret Kidd topped the line-up in the coloured horse class on the eight-year-old ISH mare Boleros Madison Avenue, a skewbald by Beragh Bolero. With so much on at present, it wasn’t surprising to see the Connemara classes low in numbers, but there were still two winners, Sophia Campbell with the seven-year-old Oxhill Mairtin grey, Oxhill Andreas (riders under 16) and Lucy Glynn on the six-year-old Glencarrig Knight gelding, Nire Valley Count (riders over 16).