CAPPA CASSANOVA BACK TO DEFEND HIS TITLE
OVER 60pc of the foals entered for this year’s Breeders’ Championship at the Dublin Horse Show are by thoroughbred stallions, yet there will be no showcase for their sires following the cancellation of the Croker Cup once again.
Reduced to a parade for a number of years before being re-introduced last year, the Croker Cup has in the past served as a fantastic shop window for such sires as the 2015 winner Elusive Emir, who this year will instead be represented at the show by several of his yearlings and foals in their respective classes.
“I am so disappointed that the class has gone, but to be honest there is little incentive for people given the high costs of actually getting there and the fact there is no prize-money,” said John Varley, owner of Elusive Emir.
“The prize-money for the Irish Draught stallions is phe- nomenal — €1,800 to the winner — yet you don’t see too many Irish Draughts winning the Breeders’ Championship.
“I supported the thoroughbred stallion for class for three years with Elusive Emir and every year we got new mares out of it. Last year when he won the phone never stopped ringing and he covered well over 80 mares this year. On top of that we had offers to buy him from people in Germany and Holland.
“In my opinion an entire review needs to be done to get the class back to the RDS. If they could get a sponsor to come on board and have prize-money it would encourage owners again. Had we known in time that there were so few entries I would have definitely returned to support it again,” he said.
Mr Varley noted that, in the case of his stallion, there was a huge resurgence in the number of Irish Draught mares being covered this year. “It was encouraging to see so many breeders going down the ‘traditional’ route,” he said.
BREEDERS CHAMPIONSHIP
tleforbes Libertina who will be shown in-hand for the first time with her first foal, a filly by the Dutch Warmblood sire Kannan.
Owned by Lady Georgina Forbes, the mare was retired from competition in 2011 following an incredible few years on the circuit with Jessica Kurten.
Two former RDS winners also return to the fold this year, namely Derry Rothwell’s Millennium Cruise, a winner in 2011, and Assagart My Only Hope, who claimed the title in 2014. The Roches’ mare will this time be shown alongside her colt by the thoroughbred sire Coroner, while the highly-prolific Cruising mare Millennium Cruise will be aimed at reclaiming her title with a filly by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet.
Millennium Cruise also won this title as a foal back in 1998 with her dam Greenhall Cailin Deas and that legacy now continues with Millennium Cruise’s half-sister Greenhall Diamond Lady, by Colin Diamond, also entered with her colt by the thoroughbred Island Commander.
The Rothwell’s trio of entries is completed by their 2013 runner-up Greenhall Indicator and her colt by resident sire Greenhall.
Spirit House, Financial Reward, Island Commander and Craig Steel are among the other thoroughbred sires represented by foals.
The Breeders’ Championship takes place at 11.55am on Friday morning. DEFENDING champion Cappa Cassanova is among a 14-strong entry for the Irish Draught stallion class which takes place in Ring 1 on Friday afternoon.
Also a winner in 2012 and 2013, the 10-year-old grey has been a great ambassador for Ireland’s native breed and is one of four stallions being sent up by Cappa Stud in Co Galway.
Run by Jimmy and Edel Quinn, the stud is also represented by their 2015 runner-up Cappa Aristocrat, Ballineen It’s William and new recruit Cappa Amadeus.
Mr Quinn said: “It will be the first time that Amadeus will be seen in public here in Ireland as he hasn’t been out since he passed his inspection in the UK in March. He’s only three but we are really looking forward to showcasing him as he is the only stallion to have achieved a bronze merit in conformation and movement at the UK inspections. After Cassanova he was the busiest stallion with us this year.”
Also among the entries are Killountain Cross, Moylough Legacy, Carrigfada Troy and Cloneyhea Spellbound. All were awarded Class 1 status at this year’s HSI stallion inspections in Cavan and will be formidable opponents against some of the older horses. Commenting on the three-year-old Killountain Cross, owner Charles Dullea said: “After he was approved we decided get him broken and sent him down to JJ Bowe. As he is homebred I always wanted to take him to Dublin. He was not available to mares this year but is now on the market and for sale.”
Given the high standard of stallions across the board it will be good to see some of the new young guns coming up against some of the other more experienced stallions including Moylough Bouncer, Carrabawn Cross and Gortfree Hero.
Some of the Irish Draught stallions have been invited to take part in the demonstration in conjunction with the Traditional Irish Horse Association in Ring 2 at 5pm on Wednesday evening.
Maeve Carty will partner Cappa Aristocrat in the Performance Irish Draught class for four and five-year-olds, while JJ Bowe has a strong entry in Rosscahill Lad, Elm View Hero and Cloonan Hector.
In the older class Ann Lambert returns to defend her crown with her 2015 winner Killinick Bouncer who will be ridden by her niece Correna Bowe. Always a popular competition, this takes place in Ring 2 on Wednesday morning.