DUBLIN HORSE SHOW – DAY 2 SHOWING REPORT – Two out of three young horse and Draught mare champions decided

Report and photos by Susan Finnerty for The Irish Horse Board

Day 2 of Dublin Horse Show and it lived up to its reputation as “Draught Day” with throngs of Irish Draughts enthusiasts, from home and abroad, gathered at Ring 1 for this morning’s mare classes and the first glimpse of the contenders in tomorrow’s Irish Draught stallion class when those entries went on parade.

The first championship decided in Ring 1 today was the two-year-old championship and once again, like last year’s championship when John Walsh’s Gatsby’s Girl (Darsi) was champion, it was another filly that won this championship: Rebecca Monahan’s Dermish Not A Dare. By the traditionally-bred CC Captain Cruise out of the Pacino mare Lady Alison, the dark bay filly was bred by Gabriel Mullins. Reserve champion was Tiernan Gill’s Flogas Syb, a winner here lat year as a yearling. The Dutch-bred roan-grey is by the Holsteiner sire Calvino Z, now based in the U.S.

In the afternoon, the three-year-old championship was won by Loughrea owner John Nash’s home-bred Count Trendy by the Oldenburg sire Future Trend out of the Stetter dam, Countess Coachella. This winner of the opening middle/heavyweight gelding class stood champion ahead of Paula Howard’s Tullabeg Hello, this year’s Balmoral young horse champion. By the KWPN sire Hiello, standing with the reserve champion and three-year-old filly class winner Nicholas Cousins, the Davy Lyons-produced bay is out of the Nigrasine mare Tullabeg Penny.

Back to the Irish Draughts, which preceded the youngstock classes. Both champion and reserve came from the five-year-old and upwards mare class, both are six-year-olds and both are owned by Donegal owners. This year’s Dublin Irish Draught champion mare, claiming the prestigious Eileen Parkhill salver in the process, is Valerie Davis’s Castleview Lady Georgina, bred by Kenny & Wendy Bell in Co. Derry. This six-year-old is by Castleview Inishfree Farmer, himself by the former Dublin stallion champion Tors Gentleman Farmer and out of the Coolcronan Wood dam, Castleview Princess. Gweebarra Realta, Enda Hamill and Charmaine Kee’s home-bred mare, was reserve. She’s by Millhollow Real MacCoy out of the Blue Rajah dam Dreamtime Mayfie.

Tomorrow we’ll have a round-up of the ridden Connemara classes and the Irish Draught foal classes, including the champions in both sections.