Winning streak
Mayo farmer Sean Ruane has won three titles this year with his Irish Draught mare, Robeen Lass, reports
WHEN Co Mayo sheep and cattle farmer Sean Ruane picked up his first ever Irish Draught mare, Robeen Lass, from her breeder Peter McHugh eight years ago, little did he know that he had the potential of breeding a champion in the show ring.
Reserve champion at Balmoral and supreme champion at the RDS earlier this year, Sean’s six-year-old home-bred mare, Strictly Come Bouncing continued her winning streak at the National Irish Draught Show in Punchestown last week to crown an incredible run of success for her connections.
“It has been a fantastic few months,” Sean said. “All of that is down to Liam Lynskey who has produced the mare for me since she was a yearling.”
Already the dam of seven foals by the time Sean made the shrewd purchase, Robeen Lass, by Glenagyle Rebel, went on to produce a further four foals for Sean, among them Strictly Come Bouncing, a daughter of the RID sire Moylough Bouncer.
“Robeen Lass had four filly foals for me in total,” Sean recalls. “Two were sold on but I retained both Strictly Come Bouncing and her half-sister by Grange Bouncer for breeding.”
Strictly Come Bouncing was first sent to Liam Lynskey as a yearling, and from there her showing career flourished. She finished in the top four at the All-Ireland Championships for three consecutive years before being crowned both RDS champion mare and Mare of the Future in 2015.
“Sadly she didn’t get to defend her crown in 2016 due to injury but we were delighted that she won Dublin again this year,” commented Liam Lynskey, who is thrilled to be associated with such a quality broodmare.
This year Strictly Come Bouncing was shown with her filly foal by Pikatchu which has qualified for the Traditional Irish Sport Horse Foal All Ireland Championship at Mountbellew next weekend.
Both of Sean’s mares are now scanned in foal to Derryronane Stud’s Class 1 sire Knockaleery Dancer.
Meanwhile, the RID stallion Gortfree Lakeside Lad continued his incredible run of form in the show ring by claiming the ridden championship for regular rider Brian Murphy before going on to be crowned National Irish Draught performance champion under Brian’s first cousin Linda Murphy.
A son of the former RDS champion Gortfree Hero, the five-year-old has already picked up several major wins this season, including the performance title at the Dublin Horse Show and ridden champion at the IDHS Breed Show in the UK.