Clifden 2014 will be remembered for an outstanding lineup of quality Connemara ponies. Top of that lineup was Moycullen man Ciaran Curran’s supreme champion Glencarrig Knight. This stallion is by Janus, a previous winner at the RDS, Roundstone and twice at Clifden. His dam, Coosheen Breeze, is the last daughter of Coosheen Finn (Scarteen Mistrel).
Yearlings
Young stock judges Padraic Hynes and New Zealander Sheila Ramsey awarded the first red rosette of the show to Gabriel Murphy’s yearling colt Lolong Bobson Bobby (Dungimmon Knight-Cillbhrid Jenny).
Traditional bloodlines dominated a strong yearling filly class, won by Letterdyffe Síofra, exhibited by Martina Conneely from Roundstone. Letterdyffe Síofra, the daughter of Castleside Carrick and Glencarrig Rose Marie, was later judged reserve junior champion.
The two-year-old colt winner was Paul Madden’s Gloves Bomber (Aran Brown Bomber-Rehins Beauty), exhibited by Eddie Madden from Athenry.
A long-term breeding plan put in place by the late Johnny Keady and his son Seamus from Spiddal came to fruition this year when Shanna Saoirse, by resident stallion Too Much Melody (Cocum Thunder Boy-Equinoxe Melody) out of Skousboe Shamrock, won the two-year-old filly class.
Quality mares dominated a solid three-year-old filly class won by Damien Gorham’s Doonhill Misty Dawn (Currachmore Cashel-April Dawn Lady), with Michael O’Toole’s three-year-old colt Castle Diceman (Glencarrig Knight-Village Linnet) winning his class and also the junior championship.
Jim Mullaney from Moycullen and Dr Ivan Torbes from Austria judged the afternoon classes. Their winners included Ciaran Curran’s eventual supreme champion who won the four- to six-year-old stallion class and Joe Burke’s Drumbad Fletcher Moss (Frederiksminde Hazy Match-Robe Grey Abbey), bred by Jim Ferguson in Co Fermanagh, who won the senior stallion class.
Mares
Beautiful mares dominated and won their age groups. Last year’s reserve champion Malachy Gorham’s Kingstown Diana (Linsford Barney-Kingstown Dana) headed the four- and five-year-old class.
Carrowkeel Star (Currachmore Cashel-Lishin Star), owned and bred by Tomas and Fiona Grimes from Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, blazed a trail of success that led her to the reserve champion of the show sash by winning her age group.
Fiona Grimes was again in the winner’s enclosure with Carrowkeel Star’s dam Lishin Star (Glencarrig Prince-Dunlewey Lisheen Liath), bred by Joe Cunniffe at Barna.
Other red rosettes went to Noel Noonan’s Rosscon Windy Lady (Laerkens Cascade Dawn-Winnie), exhibited by Meave Conneely in the eight- to nine-year-old mares class, and Henry O’Toole’s Castle Urchin (Abbeyleix Owen-Castle Dame), who won the senior mares title.
Small proved beautiful when Pat and Catriona O’Toole’s Buttermilk Ruby (Earl of Newbridge-Buttermilk Diana) won the 13.2hh class. The foal champion was Cathal Mullen’s filly Gurteen Jennifer (Glencarrig Knight out of Gurteen Eimer).
Other winners included:
• Loose jumping final – Mount Ross Sprinter (Lycon Cong Blossom-Glencarrig Annie), bred by Mattie Hughes in Bushypark, Galway, and owned by Peter Tonery from Rockwood, Co Galway. • Joint puissance winners clearing the wall at 1.60m were Carnabay Mirah, owned by Eric Walsh and ridden by Justine O’Hara, and Doire Mhainaigh Earl, owned by Mary Doyle, from Co Waterford, ridden by Christine Molloy• High Performance class – Alicia Devlin Byrne and Blackwood Fernando. • Ridden champion – Heather Murray Good on her mother’s gelding, Carrowkeel Jack.• Working champion – Pataire Crawford, riding Ardfry Jade. Green Hunter
Judges Tony Ennis and Celine Essame selected Susan Gageby-Denham’s well-balanced home-bred Bertraghboy Beau Gest (Gwennic de Goariva –Maoilisa), beautifully ridden by Alicia Devlin Byrne, as their Green Hunter Champion.
Clifden 2014 will be remembered for an outstanding lineup of quality Connemara ponies. Top of that lineup was Moycullen man Ciaran Curran’s supreme champion Glencarrig Knight. This stallion is by Janus, a previous winner at the RDS, Roundstone and twice at Clifden. His dam, Coosheen Breeze, is the last daughter of Coosheen Finn (Scarteen Mistrel).
Yearlings
Young stock judges Padraic Hynes and New Zealander Sheila Ramsey awarded the first red rosette of the show to Gabriel Murphy’s yearling colt Lolong Bobson Bobby (Dungimmon Knight-Cillbhrid Jenny).
Traditional bloodlines dominated a strong yearling filly class, won by Letterdyffe Síofra, exhibited by Martina Conneely from Roundstone. Letterdyffe Síofra, the daughter of Castleside Carrick and Glencarrig Rose Marie, was later judged reserve junior champion.
The two-year-old colt winner was Paul Madden’s Gloves Bomber (Aran Brown Bomber-Rehins Beauty), exhibited by Eddie Madden from Athenry.
A long-term breeding plan put in place by the late Johnny Keady and his son Seamus from Spiddal came to fruition this year when Shanna Saoirse, by resident stallion Too Much Melody (Cocum Thunder Boy-Equinoxe Melody) out of Skousboe Shamrock, won the two-year-old filly class.
Quality mares dominated a solid three-year-old filly class won by Damien Gorham’s Doonhill Misty Dawn (Currachmore Cashel-April Dawn Lady), with Michael O’Toole’s three-year-old colt Castle Diceman (Glencarrig Knight-Village Linnet) winning his class and also the junior championship.
Jim Mullaney from Moycullen and Dr Ivan Torbes from Austria judged the afternoon classes. Their winners included Ciaran Curran’s eventual supreme champion who won the four- to six-year-old stallion class and Joe Burke’s Drumbad Fletcher Moss (Frederiksminde Hazy Match-Robe Grey Abbey), bred by Jim Ferguson in Co Fermanagh, who won the senior stallion class.
Mares
Beautiful mares dominated and won their age groups. Last year’s reserve champion Malachy Gorham’s Kingstown Diana (Linsford Barney-Kingstown Dana) headed the four- and five-year-old class.
Carrowkeel Star (Currachmore Cashel-Lishin Star), owned and bred by Tomas and Fiona Grimes from Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, blazed a trail of success that led her to the reserve champion of the show sash by winning her age group.
Fiona Grimes was again in the winner’s enclosure with Carrowkeel Star’s dam Lishin Star (Glencarrig Prince-Dunlewey Lisheen Liath), bred by Joe Cunniffe at Barna.
Other red rosettes went to Noel Noonan’s Rosscon Windy Lady (Laerkens Cascade Dawn-Winnie), exhibited by Meave Conneely in the eight- to nine-year-old mares class, and Henry O’Toole’s Castle Urchin (Abbeyleix Owen-Castle Dame), who won the senior mares title.
Small proved beautiful when Pat and Catriona O’Toole’s Buttermilk Ruby (Earl of Newbridge-Buttermilk Diana) won the 13.2hh class. The foal champion was Cathal Mullen’s filly Gurteen Jennifer (Glencarrig Knight out of Gurteen Eimer).
Other winners included:
• Loose jumping final – Mount Ross Sprinter (Lycon Cong Blossom-Glencarrig Annie), bred by Mattie Hughes in Bushypark, Galway, and owned by Peter Tonery from Rockwood, Co Galway. • Joint puissance winners clearing the wall at 1.60m were Carnabay Mirah, owned by Eric Walsh and ridden by Justine O’Hara, and Doire Mhainaigh Earl, owned by Mary Doyle, from Co Waterford, ridden by Christine Molloy• High Performance class – Alicia Devlin Byrne and Blackwood Fernando. • Ridden champion – Heather Murray Good on her mother’s gelding, Carrowkeel Jack.• Working champion – Pataire Crawford, riding Ardfry Jade. Green Hunter
Judges Tony Ennis and Celine Essame selected Susan Gageby-Denham’s well-balanced home-bred Bertraghboy Beau Gest (Gwennic de Goariva –Maoilisa), beautifully ridden by Alicia Devlin Byrne, as their Green Hunter Champion.
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