SHOWING CLASSES:BRITISH JUDGES Robert Oliver and Mark Finton found it hard to split Ballard Bouncer and Ballycarrickmaddy in their three-year-old lightweight geldings' class on Thursday and yesterday the pair faced the same dilemma when it came to deciding the destination of the RDS youngstock championship.
Earlier in the morning, and back in the sand arena, yearlings came before the judges whose champion was the Nash Me gelding Magic Meaney, produced for owner Rose Boyd by Hugh McCusker. In reserve, they placed Lawrence Patterson's home-bred bay Brooke who had leapfrogged a number of her rivals to take the fillies' class.
The daughter of Seabrooke was overlooked for the distaff title, the tricolour here going to Frances Cleary's Master Imp bay Shanbo Queen B, with Hurst Show Horses' Tattygare Follow Me, a home-bred by Porsch which came from the same two-year-old class, standing reserve.
The judges took their time in picking their supreme champion with the difficult decision of deciding between Ballard Bouncer and Ballycarrickmaddy for the second time in as many days of competition.
However, when Ballard Bouncer was called forward for the title, it was little surprise to see Dessie Gibson getting the nod to bring forward his Ballycarrickmaddy into the reserve slot.
The champion is a son of the thoroughbred stallion Ghareeb whose owner JJ Bowe was entrusted to show the bay gelding yesterday.
Bred in Clonakilty by Seán Aherne, Ballard Bouncer was exhibited at the RDS by Vincent O'Callaghan, but the magnificent Laidlaw Cup was presented to a delighted Donie Hayes.
Following changes to the showing timetable, the weight classes and supreme hunter championship take place this morning in the main arena. However, the cup for champion hunter mare was awarded yesterday to PJ Hegarty's home-bred Fenyas Elegance, a four-year-old by Kedrah House Stud's Ricardo Z.
The chestnut, whose dam won in hand and under saddle in the Ballsbridge rings, was ridden by Ann O'Grady, as her usual partner Rosemary Connors decided to stick with her own five-year-old Woodfield Valier which stood in the reserve spot.