FORMER jockey Robbie Power filled a number of roles on the first day of the Tattersalls July Show last Tuesday, one of which seemed to involve minding his daughter Emma and her small grey pony Jimmy.

As a member of the bloodstock team, Robert was also on hand to present prizes and rosettes on behalf of Tattersalls Ireland following both the novice and open racehorse to riding horse classes when he was joined by Treo Eile’s Caoimhe Doherty. The winners and second-placed horses from both classes will progress to the Tattersalls Treo Eile showing pathway series final at the Royal Meath Show on Sunday, September 3rd.

Power’s schedule on Tuesday also involved meeting up with The Irish Field’s Helen Sharp who was conducting an interview with him and Kate Harrington for a feature on ex-racehorses, most especially Sizing John, which will appear in the Country Living section of our sister paper, the Irish Farmers Journal, in the week before the Dublin Horse Show.

Sizing John’s support team also included international event rider and show jumper Elizabeth Power (who rode the 13-year-old Midnight Legend gelding to win a Dublin qualifier at the Flavours of Fingal County Show earlier this month), her mother Mags Power and the latter’s two sisters-in-law, Helen Power and Yvonne Latta. Yvonne’s daughter Lucy also arrived down to the showing ring having earlier jumped her four-star eventer, RCA Patron Saint, in the 1.30m two-phase class.

While we heard a lot about Sizing John (who finished second in the Open class), RCA Patron Saint (who had a fence down in the second phase) and Jimmy (who seemed to be there to eat as much grass as he could), I don’t recall Yvonne making any reference at all to Everylittlestep who she trained to win division two of the mile handicap at Killarney on Wednesday!

In the Open class, Sizing John was moved up to stand second behind the Philippa Scott-owned and ridden Milliner who always topped the line-up and looked very much the part of re-trained horse in both condition and performance. The 10-year-old Gold Well gelding ran just six times for owner Gigginstown House Stud and trainer Henry de Bromhead, winning a bumper first time out at Punchestown in October 2018 and having his last start when fourth in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final (Grade 3) at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021.

Scott has decided to steer clear of Dublin this year and is, instead, targeting the Tattersalls Ireland Treo Eile final at September’s Royal Meath Show in Trim.

Win for Walshe

There were 25 starters in the Novice section but, competing in her first showing class, international event rider Sofie Walshe stood top with her once-raced Indian Danehill gelding Kinsau on whom she finished second of 10 in the EI110 (Open) at Ballindenisk two days earlier.

The combination are entered in the CCI2*-S at Kilguilkey next weekend as Walshe eases herself back into competition having now qualified as a Primary School teacher.

It may have been Walshe’s first showing class but she appeared to have a better grasp of what to do than many others so Treo Eile might look at running some more clinics before their final.