SHOW CLASSES:CORKMAN SÉAMUS Lehane's bid to land back-to-back RDS young stock championships with Ballard Eagle faltered yesterday when the bay had to settle for second place in his three-year-old lightweight geldings' class behind Credit Crunch, who also stood ahead of him in their age group championship.
Twenty-two of the 25 entries appeared before judges David Walters and Brian Higham for the class with Credit Crunch’s owner Dessie Gibson handing his home-bred bay into the care of David Alcorn as he showed Shanaghan Rising Star, the eventual third.
When it came to the title decider, Dromara-based Gibson left Credit Crunch with Alcorn as he led up the medium/ heavyweight class winner Ballincarra, a chestnut by Ghareeb. Also forward for the three-year-old crown was the fillies’ class winner, Derry Rothwell’s dark bay by Limmerick Indicator.
After Credit Crunch was beckoned forward as champion, there was little surprise when Ballard Eagle was called up into the reserve slot. The winner is by the Irish Sport Horse stallion Puissance out of the thoroughbred mare Mrs Buttons.
It was a good day for Northern exhibitors as Sam McCormick led up the Emperor Augustus bay Caesars Palace to take the two-year-old title for Banbridge owner John Donaghy.
In the lightweight geldings’ class, Lehane again finished second with his home-bred Ghareeb bay Ballard Playboy while, in the championship, the reserve slot was filled by Gibson’s Grantly Manor which won the medium/heavyweight section. Another home-bred, this bay is by Emperor Augustus out of Gibson’s much beribboned broodmare Country Times.
The second stage of the young event horse classes took place in the main arena and the four-year-old winner was another to come out of the North. The very attractive grey gelding Away Cruising was ridden by Colin Halliday for Co Antrim owner Sandra Hamilton, who purchased the gelding as a foal at Cavan sales.
The winning five-year-old was the Lux Z mare Mona Lisa Lux, ridden to victory by Billie Jean O’Neill for her mother, Jackie. The new small event horse class went to the five-year-old thoroughbred gelding Small And Mighty, owned and ridden by a delighted Emily Taylor.