SHOWING

Susan Finnerty

There were All Ireland champions and festival winners galore at Limerick and Moate shows. Limerick Show had a busy weekend packing in the Traditional Irish Horse Association’s Festival of Traditional Breeding as well.

In the Devinish Nutrition young horse classes, Listowel owner David Lynch won with his Flexible three-year-old and Emma Ryan won the four-year-olds with her Dungar Silver (In Seclusion).

Dominic Furnell’s Knockahunna French Twist (French Buffet) is already a winner at EI100 level and his eventing experience paid off to win both the five-year-old and the Horse Sport Ireland performance championship.

In the performance small hunter championship, also sponsored by HSI, Sybil Knobel’s Captain (Clover Flush) took the title, while Jackie O’Donoghue won the Ruth Loney TIHA Derby.

Champion racehorse trainer Jim Bolger once again sponsored the breeding stock classes, won by Padraig Gleeson’s Matron champion Coolgreen Rose (Heigh Ho Dubh). Julian O’Halloran and Derry Rothwell owned the foal champions – a Chinook Eclipse filly and Island Commander colt.

In the overall Limerick foal championship, it was fitting to see the late Liam Meade remembered through his family’s sponsorship of the foal championship, won by John Keane with another by Chinook Eclipse.

In the ISA All Ireland Irish Draught two-year-old filly final, Kathleen Cunney’s I Dream Of Ruby(Inishfree The Holy Grail) followed up last year’s yearling win. Reserve in both this and the Limerick Lady final was newly-married Ian Murphy with his Ava’s Delight (Clonakilty Hero).

More Moate champions, held the following day, included Cecilia Delaney’s Ebony & Ivory (Lakeshore Road), while Pat Lennon won the foal championship with the latest colt he’s bred by Watermill Swatch.

The Roche family won the Irish Draught broodmare and later the overall Irish Draught title with Assagart Kingstead Fiona (Huntingfield Rebel).

Two more family victories were scored in the young horse and ridden horse championships, landed by PJ Glynn’s three-year-old Crannaghmore Golden Boy (Near Dock) and Kate McMahon’s small hunter winner Inis Faith (Nautilus).

In the feature event, the AB Browne All Ireland filly foal final, the title went to John and Julia Crosbie's Mellow Lane (Hermes de Reve) with Julie Radden's Nigrasine and Tom Newell's Financial Reward fillies completing the top three in the Tim Wilson and Siobhan Madden-judged championship.