It was a field day at Gorey Show for owner Daphne Tierney whose homebred team won the young horse and ridden hunter championships last Saturday.

First to write his name in the results was Bloomfield Manuscript, by the 2011 Croker Cup champion Financial Reward and out of the Olympic Lux x Quidam de Revel mare, Bloomfield Lucy Locket. Having his first day out, the three-year-old gelding won his class and went on to be crowned young horse champion ahead of the other division winner: Margaret Jeffares’s O.B.O.S Quality filly, Ballykelly Eva.

Later in the afternoon, it was the turn of Bloomfield Kylemore, another by Donal Goland’s stallion and out of the Master Imp dam Bloomfield Abbey, to win the ridden hunter title. While the loss of the Breeders Championship qualifier is still a deep disappointment to the Gorey committee, their ridden horse classes are some of the best in the country and the six-year-old lightweight had some strong rivals for this overall title.

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Filling that spot was Amelia McFarland’s Kingston Pique, by the Oldenburg sire Fürstenball. The middleweight class winner, with PJ Casey on board, is out of a Clintino dam Tullibards Shakira and the McFarlands plan to continue his dressage career after Dublin.

Hat-trick

Completing the Tierney hat-trick was Bloomfield Waterside, last year’s All Ireland champion at Bannow & Rathangan, who won the Tommy Brennan memorial championship. Bred in Wexford by MJ Kavanagh, the Watermill Swatch grey has really grown over the winter.

Reserve in this traditional-bred championship was another of Margaret Jeffares’s homebreds, Ballykelly Jasmine, winner of the traditional filly foal final at Mountbellew last September. Her sire Gortfree Hero had a number of Gorey winners including Andrew Gardiner and John Newborough’s Irish Draught champion Barbervilla Lily. A winner of the stinted mare class, Sophie Marks’s mare stood champion ahead of Dermot O’Brien’s Stonepark Queen (Young Carrabawn).

Pony champions included Peter Molloy’s show hunter choice in Aoife O’Connor’s Scottish find Carrside Katie (Bazaars Chief), ahead of Anne Nixon’s It’s Miller Time (Prince of Thieves), while Patricia Byrne’s working hunter champion was Knocklucas Chloe (Kings Master), ridden by UCC first-year law student Sarah Jane Hackett.

In reserve was Riverdale Countess (Crusader of Kippure) with Molly Dunne, daughter of equine surgeon Larry, on board. “Larry’s busy flushing mares today!” said his wife Riceal.