Ridden Connemaras, Thursday Click Here For Gallery RDS pics or see Sidebar
The Ridden Connemara Classes at Dublin this year were split up, (not a great idea ) with two Classes in the morning at 9 a.m and three Classes including the Championship in the evening.
The evening Classes got off to a late start; it was pushing 6 o’clock when the 14 ponies of Class 75- for riders over 17 – entered Ring 2. Judges of all the Connemara classes at the Show, Messrs. Haslett and Wedekind did their best to hasten things on but it really was close on 8 p.m. before the last Rosette and Championship Cup was awarded. By then many people had drifted home and the RDs had closed it’s doors.
I am now turning the tables and putting the Championship Class first. (remember the Bible “the first shall be last and the last shall be first”) Derrymore Paddy Finn (Cloonisle Cashel – Goodbye My Love), a 12 year old gelding bred in Co. Clare by John Joe Bolton, was the judges’ final choice and stepped forward with rider Esmé Mansergh Wallace to accept the Champion’s Eugenia Murray Trophy. Accepting his second Reserve Championship of the day was the In-Hand Stallion and Ridden Stallion Class winner, Merryn Huntley-Jones’s Killacloran (Moy Hazy Cove – Castle Star). Runner-up in the Ridden Stallion Class was Michael Igoe’s nine year old Braveheart of Kippure out of Tracy’s Pride.
In the Young Connemara Class for ponies aged four and five years old, it was Julie Corbett’s Dunally Grey (Linsfort Barney – Dunmore Daffodil) who took the Honours while the four year old mare, Ballyalt Calla Lily (I Love You Melody – Snabo Lily) who was bred by his owners D.and A. Henderson, came Second. Both these ponies hail from Co. Down. It was good to see such young ponies behave in such a calm and mannerly fashion in spite of all the excitement of Thursday’s Ladies Day and the general busy hullabaloo.
Next to go was the 15 strong Class for riders under 17. Top of the line in this Class was the handsome six year old grey gelding Gloster Boy (Laerkens Cascade Dawn – Ridge Sally) owned by Helena Dawson. Runner-up Kilbride Ruby was Jane Lumley-Fleming’s gelding son of Glencarrig Prince out of Ballydavid Star. Cashel Bay Joe(Village King – Mountain Ash) with Emma O’Toole on board had won this Class last year, and was in third place this time around.
In the very competitive over 17 ridden Class Mr. What (Village King – Meadow Harp), a near- winner in Dublin last year, and Supreme Champion at Oughterard, was initially pulled in first by the judges but Derrymore Paddy Finn was their final choice to take the Red ribbon.
Derrymore Paddy Finn is no stranger to RDS red ribbons as he had won his Class here with rider Esmé both in 2005 and ’06, and was Reserve Side-Saddle Champion in 2007. At the Oughterard Championships in ’06 he was awarded the Supreme. Last Thursday evening in Dublin when she received an RDS Championship Trophy for the first time was a very happy and memorable red-letter day for Esme and her mother Philippa also. Unbelievably for them Esme went on to take two more RDS Classes and a second Championship with her Intermediate Show Hunter and Small Hunter, over the following two days of the Show. Her hard work and dedication paid off in a big way at RDS 2010.
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