MUNSTER WELL REPRESENTED AT FÁILTE IRELAND DUBLIN HORSE SHOW

The 2009 Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show gets underway on Wednesday August 5^th at the  RDS arena in Ballsbridge. A celebration of Ireland's affinity with the horse the first show was held in 1864 with 366 entries and a total prize fund of £520. Jumping competitions for horses were first introduced in 1869 when there was a high leap over hurdles trimmed with gorse, the wall jump over a loose stone wall of progressive height not exceeding 6 feet, and the wide leap over 2 ½ ft gorse-filled hurdle with 12 ft of water on the far side.

In 1926 International Competitions were introduced to the show and the same year the first Nations’ Cup for the Aga Khan Challenge trophy was held. Up until 1949 the Nations’ Cup teams had to consist of military officers. The Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show is Ireland’s largest equestrian event, with the third largest annual prize pool for International Show Jumping in the world.

Wednesday’s highlight in the main arena will be the Irish Sports Council Classic while Thursday is Blossom Hill Ladies' Day with one lucky lady taking home a first prize trip to Milan and Cape Town.

For many people though the highlight of the week will be Friday’s Nations Cup for the famous Aga Khan Trophy. This year’s competition will be extra special as it will also be the final round of the Meydan City sponsored FEI Nations Cup series with the top ten teams in the world taking part. France, Germany and the USA look set to battle it out for the number one spot while Italy, Great Britain and Belgium are in a relegation dog fight. After a recent good run of results that included a win at the Swedish round in Falsterbo and a third place finish last week at Hickstead in England, Horse Sport Ireland team manager Robert Splaine can look forward to Friday’s Aga Khan safe in the knowledge that his Irish team have already made it through to next years Meydan Series and could possibly still finish in the top three overall.

Announced last week the Irish team for the Nations Cup will be Mayo’s Cameron Hanley with’SIEC Livello’, Tipperary’s Denis Lynch with Lantinus Meath based Cian O’Connor will ride ‘Rancorrado’ while Co Cork’s Billy Twomey partners  ‘Je t’Aime Flamenco’.

Speaking after the announcement Robert Splaine said that the team had been particularly difficult to pick this year. “After our win in Sweden and our good showing in Hickstead we had a number of riders in the equation for selection and it was a very difficult choice. I am very confident that the team selected will perform very well,” he said. 

CO CORK

With the top ten show jumping nations in the world sending teams to Dublin next week places for Irish individual riders have been severely cut back. While Cork’s Shane Sweetnam misses out on selection for the Aga Khan team he has been selected for one of the coveted Individual places and will take his place in the biggest classes of the show during the week. Among his two rides will be Spy Coast Farm’s Amaretto d’Arco who has been a key member of the Irish Nations Cup team so far in 2009.

Paula Coffey from Midleton rides Gurtacrue Lady in the Amateur class, while Katie Sweetnam fromBandon Co Cork rides Wiretta in the young riders as does Nikki Murphy from Waterfall who partners Inch Ana Horna.

Blayne Sheehan from Beara will also be in action in the 1.20m young riders with Tavira, along with Natasha O Connor (Kanturk), Elizabeth Bowen (Rathcooney) and Eimear Kelly(Berrings) who all jump in the 1.30m young riders.

In the 128 pony section Shane Dalton (Clonakilty), Kelly Barry(Glanmire) and Ellen Sweetnam(Bandon) will give Co Cork and excellent chance of success, while in the 138 section Molly O Shea from Blackrock will ride Creative Dancer.

Mark O Callaghan from Carrigaline rides Western Wonder in the 148A class, along with Jeremy Sweetnam who will partner Allihies Fir Baoi. Madaline Roberts Allen and Katie Sweetnam both from Bandon round off the Cork pony riders for the week ahead.

Maurice O Connor from Kanturk will ride Ronnoco VDL Darcoin the 4 year old horses and rounding off the Cork competitors will be Sean Walsh and Kimberlite who have qualified for the always difficult 8 year old and over class.

 

CO KERRY

Co Kerry will be well represented this week at the RDS, beginning with Jerome Foley from Firies Co Kerry who rides Portphillip Dioscruise in the Amateur section. In the pony competition Emma O Sullivan from Milltown will ride Killaloe Gypsy. In the 148 class John Nolan from Tralee will ride Woodfield Rinrush.

In the 4 year old horses Anthony O Regan rides Derna Romeo while he also jumps in the 7 year olds with Mover, while Martha Healy from Killarney will jump Labella Stella in the 5 year olds.

Maura Counihan has had plenty of International success so far this year and the Tralee lady will be among the favourites in the 5 year old horse competition where she rides HHS Diamond

CO CLARE

Co Clare will be well represented during the week beginning with Rena Marie Queally from Ennis who rides Kilmore Royal in the Amateur class. Another Ennis rider Paul Mc Dermott rides ‘’Whatever II’’ I the young rider competition,

Clare riders dominate the 138 pony section with Tom Foley(Tulla), Eoin McMahon(Crathloe), Aime Lucinda Wood (Killaloe) and Siobhan McCarthy(Quin) all in the line up.

Tom Foley and Eoin Mc Mahon will also be in the 148 pony section where they are joined by Laura Costello from Quin Co Clare.

Co Clare’s most famous Show jumping star Marie Burke from Doora in Ennis has been selected for one of the coveted International rider positions and will jump in the biggest classes of the show.

CO LIMERICK

Meanwhile Co Limerick will be well represented at the RDS this week beginning with Niamh O Connell from Clarina who has been in super form this year and will ride Tom O Connell’s Notting Hill in the young rider 1m 30.

Peter Leonard from Newcastle West Co Limerick will ride Michael Murphy’s Catcher Babinski in the 4 year old horse class, and also saddles Donal Lynch’s Ard Denzil in the 5 year olds.

Also in the 5 year olds another Newcastle West rider Paul O Shea will ride Lynzi Johnston’s ‘’Top Shelf’’.

Captain Shane Carey from Crecora Co Limerick will jump the Minister for Defences ‘’Ringwood Abbey’’ in the 7 year old competition while Captain Carey has also been selected for one of the sought after International places for the biggest classes at the RDS this week.

 

TIPPERARY BREEN BROTHERS IN SUPER FORM AHEAD OF THIS WEEKS ACTION

Shane and Trevor Breen from Dualla Road Cashel will hope to bring further glory to Tipperary over the coming days. Because of the large number of foreign riders visiting Dublin this week, places for home riders have been restricted to a select few, but the form shown by the two above mentioned brothers has seen both selected to don the green jacket.

Shane Breen who is now based in Hickstead England will ride Carmel Ryan’s stallion Carmena Z and also partners Mullaghdrin Gold Rain. Carmena Z comes to Dublin in good form having narrowly missing out on retaining his Queens Cup title at Hickstead last week and also winning the Grand Prix at the New Forest and Hampshire County Show in the UK. .

Younger brother Trevor Breen will have a particularly busy week having qualified 7 horses for the National Classes and also being selected for the Internationals where he will ride the Ringwood Construction owned Womack. In the 5 year old’s Trevor rides Halltown Royal. He also will partner Honeylands Douglason in the same class this one owned by Peter Boardman from Roscrea Co Tipperary.No More Talk will be Trevor’s mount in the 6 year olds while in the 7 year old class he will ride the John Crennan owned Stony Road Lad.

Karen Swann from Cashel is the owner of Adventure de Kannan who Trevor Breen will ride in the 8 year olds and over, this horse being in fine form recently winning the Hickstead Speed Derby and finishing 3^rd in the Eventing Grand Prix at the same venue just over a week ago.

Greg Broderick from Thurles is another local rider who will compete in the National Horse classes, while Karen Egan from Templemore Co Tipperary will ride E Clover in the Amateur section.

In the 148 pony competition at the RDS Seamus Holohan from Fethard will ride Boolagh Ghost Buster, while brother Matthew Holohan will ride Boolagh Gypsy Boy. Conor Dunphy from Carrick on Suir will ride Glenevadra High Alert also in the 148 pony division.

 

CO WATERFORD

As ever Co Waterford will be well represented this week at the RDS with riders from the Deise having made it through the tough qualifying process.  In the Amateur section Patrick Royanne from Dungarvan takes his place with Coolbeg Carrig.

In the 128 pony class Liz O Donnell from Cappoquin will ride John Moloney’s Sprinters Magic who is a former mount of Aime Moloney from Colligan Equestrian Centre in Dungarvan who is no stranger to the RDS having previously jumped in the 128 pony competition. Aime will again jump at the RDS this year with another Colligan Equestrian Centre pony Knockroe Dawn in the 138 section. In the 148 six and seven year old pony class Paul Kiely from Cappagh rides Catherine Kiely’s Mighty Patch.

CONNORS, KEANE, BEECHER AND O’DONNELL IN SENIOR SECTION

In the National Horse classes Francis Connors will as ever be busy with a number of horses qualified including the impressive 4 year old stallion’Hyperion’ owened by Bobby Flynn for Gracedieu in Waterford City. Aglish born  Tholm Keane has an impressive record in the young horse classes and will ride a number of youngsters owned by Tenor Ronan Tynan and will be among the favourites to feature in the prizes. In the 8 year old’s and over  Fenor’s Paddy O Donnell will partner Tomas Powers impressive mare Harristown Princess while also in this class Tallow’s Paul Beecher will saddle Loughnatusa WB.

With the top ten ranked nations in the world sending teams to Dublin this week, places for Irish riders in the International classes have been severely cut back this year, but Aglish born Tholm Keane will take one of the priceless places following his excellent record in the ShowjumpingIreland Premiere series. Tholm will ride Ronan Tynan’s Warrenstown U2 around the weeks biggest tracks in the main arena.

Also in the International arena Waterford owned stallion Carmena Z has been selected and will be ridden as ever by Tipperary’s Shane Breen. The 9 year old by Carthago comes to Dublin in good form having narrowly missing out on retaining his Queens Cup title he won in 08, at Hickstead’s Royal International Show last week and winning the Grand Prix at The New Forest and Hampshire County Show in the UK just a few days ago.

From the best show horses, to the best international show jumpers. The Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show is one of Ireland's largest sporting events, a highlight of the summer, each year welcoming tens of thousands of people from Ireland and all over the world, and hopefully providing some Munster winners along the way.

 

 BY BRIAN HENNESSY

PRO Horse Sport Ireland and Munster SJI