Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association (IDHBA) National Show – Punchestown

AS the end of this summer’s show season approaches, the native breed shows continue. Clifden now completed for the Connemara pony, the first of the Irish Draught national shows took place on Saturday at Punchestown Racecourse, the venue for the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association (IDHBA) national show.

Several changes were made to this year’s slickly-ran show, of which the most obvious was moving the ridden classes rings to beside the in-hand rings.

Previous years had seen the ridden Draught classes held in the all-weather arena, near the racecourse entrance and while there is a definite swing towards all-weather arenas as show venues, to see Irish Draughts coming down the Punchestown bank in working hunter classes or galloping on grass is a magnificent sight.

This is the hardy breed that ploughed land and was, for many farmers and households, their four-legged ‘tractor’ and transport means in all weathers. The current generation of Irish Draughts have never had it so good and numerous anecdotes were relayed by proud owners about their versatile prizewinner.
Another role for the placid Draught is within An Garda Siochána’s Mounted Unit and Sergeant Batt Moriarty – the Garda with overall responsibility for the Unit – was at the IDHBA show, along with Aillen (Cappa Cochise – Direen Lady, by Welcome Diamond. Breeder: Christy Grealish) and Rian (Crosstown Pride – Corraslira Mist, by Merry Mate. Breeder: Harry Millar) and their riders: Gardai Richie Cullen and Nives Caplice.

Sgt. Moriarty was delighted with the response to the Mounted Unit’s ‘recruitment drive” in January, through the Irish Horse Board and The Irish Field, for new four-legged recruits. “It worked really well and we had great interest from owners with suitable horses.”

As for Saturday’s champions, the day’s first was Edward Corbett’s foal champion. By WRS Sunrise and out of Growhowdy Elizabeth, this filly won her class and then took the overall foal title.

“She’s won a few championships already this year so she’s been lucky enough. Her mother is by Ceide Prince and out of a Grey Macha mare, and this is her third foal,” Edward said.

The reserve champion foal also came from the filly class and this was John & Sinead O’Dwyer’s Guernascarry Vera (Ludden Skywalker – Brehan Lady, by Fast Silver). The latter mare goes back to the Kilcolman mare Brehan Lass 2, bred by Sarah M. Campbell, that produced a line of prizewinners, including Chantal Deon’s prolific winner and dam of approved stallions: Brehan Lass.

GRACE-FULL SUMMER
Donegal owners had a long trek to Punchestown, although the journey paid off well for two, when Enda Hamill’s homebred Balmoral champion Gweebarra Realta (Millhollow The Real McCoy – Dreamtime Mayfly, by Blue Rajah) and her filly foal – Gweebarra Riona, by The Bachelor – won the lucrative FBD mare and foal combination championship.

Another memorable day lay ahead for Castleview Lady Georgina, this year’s Irish Draught champion mare at Dublin and the supreme champion at the Westmeath-Offaly IDHBA branch show in July.
Valerie Davis’s mare first won the four to nine-year-old mare class and then the overall mare championship to add to her 2025 haul. By her breeder Kenny Bell’s own stallion Castleview Inisfree Farmer, she is out of Castleview Princess, by Coolcronan Wood.

“It definitely was a day of all seasons yesterday!” Valerie said about the day’s mixture of sunshine and blustery downpours. “We had an early morning start as we left here at 5am and it took us four hours to get to Punchestown. I wasn’t at the national show for a few years now but was ‘forced’ to go by the show chairman [Brian Murphy] after winning in Dublin!”
“It was a great day, very well ran.”

Standing reserve in the mare championship was Pat Murphy’s Puntabeg’s Lass. The 12-year-old had won the 10-year-old and over mare class for her Mayo owner before her reserve championship result.
This grey, with her distinctive fleabitten grey markings on her offside wither and hindquearter is by the 2010 Dublin champion stallion Tors Gentleman Farmer and out of the Crannagh Hero mare Inisfree Holly Hero.

In the adjoining ring, Lisa Baker’s Malahow Grace’s Legacy started her winning streak, clocking up the three-year-old filly class and the Mare of the Future final, before winning the overall youngstock title.
“This was the filly’s biggest win this year and her last show of the season. She was the youngstock champion at this national show last year, so she won back the Milestone Cup and she will have her name on it for two years in a row,” said her delighted Dublin owner, who bought the filly from breeder Jenny Banks as a birthday present for her husband John, whose family bred the legendary Arkle.
By Moylough Legacy, the youngstock champion is out of Inisfree Farmers Daughter, another by Tors Gentleman Farmer.

As with the foal championship, the youngstock reserve also came from the same class and this was Russell & Judith Cowley’s homebred Cloneyhea Blossom (Cloneyhea Paddy – Cloneyhea Hope, by Coille Mor Hill).
She took the blue ribbon in the three-year-old filly class and then followed Malahow Grace’s Legacy all the way in the youngstock decider for the reserve tricolour.
In the overall in-hand championship, the combined judges panel opted for Malahow Grace’s Legacy as their supreme and then Castleview Lady Georgina as their reserve.
“The filly was reserve national supreme champion in 2024 so it was fantastic to get supreme this year,” added a delighted Lisa, who then praised Lorcan Glynn’s showmanship.
“Lorcan first led ‘Saibh’ [Malahow Grace’s Legacy] at the national show in 2024. The pair are a fantastic match and look great in the ring together. Lorcan brought a wealth of showing experience to the ring with the filly, and comes from a well-known showing family.”

ULTIMATE CHAMPIONS

Ridden and performance Irish Draught classes have boomed in popularity in recent years as the breed is the ultimate and low-maintenance all-rounder for the strong leisure and amateur markets.
Punchestown, which hosted the 1991 and 2003 European eventing championships, as well as the popular annual racing festival, was the perfect shopwindow for the working hunter classes. The course, built by Michael Doyle, included the famous bank, in use also for the Kildare Performance Hunter Show.
It’s been a busy summer for Doyle, also seen in action at Millstreet and Bannow & Rathangan and he and his late mother Phyllis did what many breeders dream of: breeding an Olympic horse in Master Crusoe. The Master Imp- Cruising bay recorded top-10 places at the London Olympics and Badminton with Aoife Clarke.

Tallyho Maguire, the first ridden Draught champion of the day, is a versatile horse. “He’s aptly-named as he is my hunter for the last three seasons. I’ve been Master with the Kilkennys for the last five seasons, of which Tallyho Maguire carried me the last 3 seasons,” said his owner Fionnuala Lennon about the striking chesnut.
“I saw him as a three-year-old in Balmoral and fell in love with him, then bought him the following year from Simon Probin and Brigid Neill, who did a lovely job breaking and lightly hunting him.”
“I only started showing him last year, as a six-year-old, because he needed the break in the summer to give him time to grow into himself. He also does side-saddle with Hazel Valentine, who hunts with the Kildares and runs the Performance Hunter Show here, which has been a great showcase of pure hunters and performance horses. She qualified him for the RDS ladies side-saddle and finished fourth.”
“This guy has the most amazing temperament, which is synonymous with the breed.”
By Kiltybane Naldo and out of the Gurraun Golden Eye mare Anamar Girl, her ridden champion was bred by Patrick Rice.

Standing reserve in the ridden Draught championship was Dermot Molloy’s Cummermore Lad, the latest find by his Kilkenny owner. The four-year-old won his four/five-year-old class with Diarmuid Ryan aboard.
Over in the working hunter ring, Lady Perdita Blackwood’s oft-crowned Clandeboye won another title, having first won his class with his usual pilot Louise Lyons. By Scrapman and out of the Western Light mare Libertias True Blue, the Miriam Burney-bred five-year-old won the Dublin working hunter championship last year.

The pair then won the working hunter championship on Saturday, ahead of Aidan Flanagan’s Ahalative Goldsmith, the winner of the four/five-year-old working hunter class with Sean Looney.
By Carrickcottage Star, this four-year-old mare is out of the Knockillaree Glenlara mare Ahalative Rose and bred by John Mulligan.
In the overall ridden supreme showdown, it was Cummermore Lad that reversed the earlier ridden Draught championship result, with Tallyho Maguire as reserve.
“Cummermore Lad was bought as a foal from breeder Larry Carey,” said Dermot’s wife Michaela. “He is by Heigh Ho Dubh and his dam Cummermore Lady is by Crannagh Hero.”
“Last week, at Iverk show, he won the four-year-old ridden class and went reserve ridden champion, he won both the novice and open working hunter classes and went champion working hunter, while in July, he won the green working hunter class at Tattersalls July Show,” added Michaela, who reports that their previous big winner – Two Mile Nigel – has settled in well in his new Dutch home.

His sale and big championship wins in 2025 featured in previous Irish Horse Board showing round-ups and the Kilkenny couple may well now have another successor to their previous star.
“It was amazing to win at the National Draught Show, becoming ridden champion and then went on to be reserve supreme,” Fionnuala Lennon said, summing up their Punchestown day.

NEXT GENERATION
Of the many lovely cups and trophies presented at this show, one had particular significance. The Ellen Walton Perpetual Trophy, awarded in the young handler class, went this year to Oonagh Bagnall who showed the Agherlow mare Lady Hattie. Ellen, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was a tremendous supporter of both the Irish Draught breed and in encouraging the next generation of Draught breeders and exhibitors.

She would have been delighted with Oonagh’s showring journey, from local to national shows and in The Irish Field Breeders Championship at Dublin.
“I was really delighted with how everything ran yesterday,” the national show chairman Brian Murphy commented afterwards.
“I think moving the show location within Punchestown Racecourse went down very well and the way it was laid out suited everyone as they all had a good view of all the rings.”
“Classes were well supported. The youngstock section could do with more numbers but I think that is the case across the board all year,” was his realistic assessment of their entries.

“I’m only a very small cog in a big wheel and have an amazing board of directors that have a wealth of experience across the horse industry. I think the mix of the board works well with the senior and younger members complementing each other.”

The perfect show committee recipe for a native breed shopwindow.