Mare competition brings out the best

COMPETITIONS such as the Horse Sport Ireland Show Jumping Mare Championship have been developed to identify, evaluate and reward owners of mares that are capable of performing at the highest level in show jumping and, in turn, are suitable for producing progeny that would be competitive at the highest level.

Eligible mares for this competition had to meet criteria which included qualifying for the five- or six-year-old show jumping class at the RDS or chosen to compete at the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken.

The success of Santa Catalina in last week’s championship at Cavan has given her owner, Paddy Quinlan, great encouragement with regard to her future breeding programme, which has already begun in earnest with a view to the mare returning to the show jumping circuit again next year. Santa Catalina in action

“Both her and dam Buenos Aires are now with Cheryl Broderick to have embryos taken from them,” Mr Quinlan said this week.

Ridden to the championship win by Greg Broderick, the six-year-old is by the Holsteiner stallion Capitalist, going back to the great sires Capitol and Capitano.

Her dam Buenos Aires, by Ghareeb, does not have a performance record, but the grand-dam April, a Premier mare by the thoroughbred Strong Statement, was evented by both her owner/ breeder Rachel Power and the late Sarah Gordon.

April’s dam Marget, by Skyboy, represented Ire- land at the European Young Riders’ Championship in 1984 and also completed the three-day at Punchestown.

A small-time breeder of thoroughbreds, it was only by accident that Paddy Quinlan ended up with the hugely-promising Santa Catalina six years ago.

“The dam had only just been covered by Capitalist when he was standing with Peadar Murphy. She had failed to sell at Goresbridge and as the owners were keen to sell her, I bought her there and then,” he said.

In addition to Santa Catalina, Buenos Aires now also has a filly foal at foot by Quantino, who stands at Peadar Murphy’s Cullintra Stud in Co Kilkenny and has already shown much promise on the national circuit under Vincent Byrne.

“Santa Catalina was not jumped as a four-year-old but has been coming on nicely and jumped really well at Dublin, despite having one fence down.

“I am not tempted to sell her just now. Hopefully, we can get a few nice foals from her now while she continues to compete,” Mr Quinlan concluded.

Commenting on the championship itself, which carried a generous prize-fund of €15,000, Greg Broderick said afterwards: “I think this is a good initiative from Horse Sport Ireland, particularly for the breeders. It would encourage you to keep a mare in work later in the season with a class like this on offer.”

The runner-up spot went to the Maureen McMahonbred Hilton Alibi, by the late sire Pacino out of the mare Hilton Hermlight, by Hermes De Reve.