Dublin Horse Show – Day 1 Showing Round-up – Third time lucky for Dermot
Day 1 of Dublin Horse Show and Two Mile Nigel’s superb year in the showring continues, althought it draws to a close after Dublin with his recent sale.
Meanwhile, a former Horse of the Year Show winner returned to Ireland and won the small hunter title.
Irish Draught performance and working hunter champion at Balmoral in May, Two Mile Nigel made it three titles in a row when Dermot Molloy’s eyecatching chesnut won the first class in Ring 2 this morning: the four/five-year-old Irish Draught performance class.
Plus, he’s off to his new home in the Netherlands within two weeks as watching ringside was Two Mile Nigel’s new Birgitte Vonk.
Last year, the Diarmuid Ryan-produced gelding won the four-year-old working hunter class on Sunday morning, before standing reserve champion to another purebred Irish Draught: Louise Lyons’ Clandeboye.
Two Mile Nigel is entered again in Sunday’s working hunter competitions and any result will be a bonus for his new owner, who lives “in the centre of the Netherlands.”
“I like to keep my horse for as long as possible, I like the Irish Draught horse because we do drag hunting in the Netherlands and they’re perfect for this. They’re strong, they have good bone, sensible but sensitive.”
“I’m not surprised but I’m so excited about his win!”
“I’ve been second twice before but haven’t won this class until Nigel today, so third time lucky, said Dermot, who lives in Ninemilehouse, halfway between Kilkenny and Clonmel.
In the Irish Horse Board report from Balmoral Show, Dermot had explained that he bought his future dual Balmoral-Dublin winner as a near-yearling from his Kerry breeder Jerry McMahon.
By King Vinny, Two Mile Nigel is out of the Penmerryl Rhythm and Blues mare Two Mile Gretta.
(His rider, Kilkenny veterinary surgeon Diarmuid Ryan recorded another win at Dublin this afternoon, when he partnered Naomi Murphy’s Pem Boy (Clifden Silver x Rathcoona Cove) to take the Berney Bros eight-to fifteen-year-old Connemara performance class. Geraldine Power’s Pine View Ice Cool (Ice And Fire D’Albran x Coill Rua Champ won the younger Connemara section and a full report on both in tomorrow’s native breeds day special).
The second Irish Draught performance class – a culmination of nationwide qualifiers – saw Liam Lynskey’s 13-year-old DS Ballagh Bouncer and Hannah Gordon kick off the traditional western good run in Dublin’s Draught classes.
“He’s always qualified, he’s been second, third and fourth year on year with the same rider. Hannah has done all the work with him. I bought him as a foal from Brendan Duffy in Ballaghderreen and he’s by my old stallion Moylough Bouncer.”
“Hannah had a dream last night that she was in the [champions] parade in the main arena, behind the piped band and now she will be,” said Lynskey who held a successful charity showjumping event at his own Derryronane Stud last Saturday.
Over in Ring 1, the opening day’s first championship – the Gill Group riding horse title – was won by Gillian Torrens’ Redmay Romeo, by the good eventing sire O.B.O.S Quality OO4 and out of a Cruising line dam.
The reserve champion was Maria Melvin’s homebred traditional-bred Glenkeeran The Last Dance, by the five-time Dublin winner Crosstown Dancer. His dam is the thoroughbred mare Glenkeeran In The Deep, by Snurge out of a Deep Run dam.
There was one more Ring 1 champion on the opening day – Andrea McKee’s Ebony King, a ‘boomerang horse’ as he was sold to Scotland and returned to Northern Ireland after a successful cross-channel career.
Bred by William Shanahan, the now 13-year-old grey is by Aughabeg Patch. “‘Jack’ won today’s Thornton Recycling small hunter championship.
“PJ [Casey], who was reserve today showed him for a year and sold him to Scotland. He was successful there with Donna and now he’s come home,” said Andrea.
“He won at HOYS as a six-year-old champion small hunter and then my daughter [Lucy Stewart] went on and competed him in the intermediates,” former owner Donna Newton added.
“The market is still strong in the UK, horses come from Ireland all the time,” said Donna when asked about market demands.
The aforementioned PJ Casey rode the reserve champion: Mhari & Rena Rawluk and Patrice Dorney’s Kindred Spirit. Just a four-year-old and another grey, he was bred by Seamus Holohan and is by Watervalley Cool Diamond and out of Killeen Marta, a Connemara mare by Curraghkeen Cashel.
Tomorrow, is ‘Draught Day’ when the Irish Draught mare and foal championships take place, plus the keen ringside audience will get their first glimpse of the 2025 Irish Draught stallion contenders. Plus, a full update on the ridden Connemara winners.
PERFORMANCE IRISH DRAUGHT
Four/five-year-olds – Two Mile Nigel (ID) – 2020 gelding by King Vinny out of Two Mile Gretta, by Penmerryl Rhythm and Blues. Breeder: Jerry McMahon, Co. Kerry. Owner: Dermot Molloy.
Six-year-old and over – DS Ballagh Bouncer (ID) – 2012 stallion by Moylough Bouncer (ID) out of Mount Diamond Princess, by Mount Diamond Flag. Breeder: Brendan Duffy, Co. Roscommon. Owner: Liam Lynskey.
RIDING HORSE CHAMPIONSHIP
Champion – Redmay Romeo (ISH) – 2019 gelding by O.B.O.S Quality 004 (OLD) – Ballynort Cruising, by Drombane Cruising. Breeder: Maria Ranahan. Owner: GF Torrens.
Reserve – Glenkeeran The Last Dance (ISH) (TIH) – 2021 gelding by Crosstown Dancer (ID) – Glenkeeran In The Deep (TB), by Snurge. Breeder/owner: Maria Melvin.
SMALL HUNTER CHAMPIONSHIP
Champion – Ebony King (ISH) – 2012 gelding by Aughabeg Patch. Breeder: William Shanahan. Owner: Andrea McKee.
Reserve – Kindred Spirit (ISH) – 2021 gelding by Watervalley Cool Diamond (ISH) – Killeen Marta, by Curraghkeen Cashel. Breeder: Seamus Holohan. Rider: Mhari & Rena Rawluk and Patrice Dorney.