Connemara ambitions
Grace Maxwell Murphy is hoping to maintain a winning family tradition in the Connemara Pony classes at the Dublin Horse Show, writes
CONNEMARA ponies have brought much joy to the Maxwell Murphy family for many years, and next week Grace and her fiancé William McMahon will be hoping to add even more silverware to their impressive collection at the Dublin Horse Show.
It was back in the 1970s when Grace’s mother Beatrice first entered the winner’s enclosure there with a yearling filly named Sea Mist. A multiple champion as a youngster, she went on to become their foundation mare and produced a host of progeny that were successful on the show scene. Remarkably, the bloodlines still exist in the family’s Gleann Rua ponies to this day.
Grace’s love of horses stems from her grandfather Tom Maxwell, who was heavily involved in thoroughbreds in Mullingar.
“Mum was always interested too and it was when she moved to Galway that she got her first Connemara pony,” Grace says. “That pony was Sea Mist.”
Grace’s late father Ted Murphy was a doctor in Galway city and together with Beatrice, set up Gleann Rua Pony Stud.
One of their most successful ponies was the stallion Gleann Rua Maxwell, a multiple champion at numerous venues, in- cluding the RDS and Clifden, in 1999 and 2000.
“We had a lot of success with him over the years and he also sired several nice ponies that we have campaigned as well. Sadly he died at Christmas,” Grace adds.
One such pony is the sevenyear-old Afro Jack, winner of the ridden championship at Clifden last August with Grace in the saddle.
It was a special day as Grace had also won that same accolade with Tulira Blackthorn in 1994 — at the age of 10 — so was thrilled to be adding her name to the trophy once again.
“I had been reserve in 2016 with Thiergartenhofs Larissa but the championship win in 2017 was the first since 1994.”
Suffice to say life has changed for Grace and William since the birth of their first son, Blake, on June 10 this year, although she says it didn’t disrupt their showing schedule too much.
Two weeks after giving birth, Grace, who is a solicitor with Beauchamps in Dublin, was competing side-saddle once again.
“That was thanks to my mum who has been coming to all the shows with us to help with Blake, and also my sister Lorna,” she says.
Not long after that she brought out Afro Jack, who has since notched up wins at Ardrahan, Mount Briscoe and Newmarket-on-Fergus in the run-up to his RDS outing.
Also heading to Dublin is the home-bred Connemara Gleann Rua Lincoln, Irish Draughts Cappa Ranger and Gleann Rua Spielberg and the home-bred ISH Gleann Rua Gatsby, who will again be aimed at the working hunters, having placed fifth there as a four-year-old in 2017.
Bred in Galway by Jimmy Quinn, Cappa Ranger has had a great campaign and at the recent Ennis Show won both the side-saddle (for Grace) and ridden hunters for William. He has also accumulated wins at Galway and Ardrahan, Loughrea and Mount Briscoe and will contest the middleweight hunters next week.
Afro Jack’s full-brother Digweed is one of many ponies to have passed through their hands in recent times. A winner at Clifden in 2016, he is now competing in Wales.
Gleann Rua Ruby, who comes from the same family as their foundation mare Sea Mist, won at Dublin in 2012 before being sold to the UK, while Gleann Rua Maxmillian won at Clifden in 2017 before being sold across the Irish Sea to Kelly Jones.
He has since qualified for London Olympia, which takes
THEY WERE INTRODUCED ON THE HUNTING FIELD WHILE OUT WITH THE GALWAY BLAZERS
place later this year.
While Connemara ponies have been in the Maxwell Murphy family for many years, William McMahon has been involved in thoroughbreds all his life.
Together with his father, Gerry, they gave such horses as Champion Court their start in racing. William continues to ride in point-to-points occasionally, but has turned to pre-training horses for clients.
Perhaps not surprisingly A TOTAL prize-fund of just over €12,000 is on offer at the 2018 Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association National Show in Punchestown on Saturday, September 1.
As always there is a wide selection of classes for both ridden horses and horses shown in-hand, all of which are open to both IDHBA members and non-members.
Two new classes have been added to the schedule. The inaugural Premier Mare & Foal Championship will offer a prize-pot of €1,500 in addition to stallion nominations for the top Grace and William met in horse circles — they were introduced on the hunting field while out with the Galway Blazers on St Stephen’s Day in 2013, and got engaged on the same day in 2016. Ever since, they have combined their love for horses to set up a business of buying and selling thoroughbreds.
“We have started buying a few foals each year to sell as three-year-old stores and it is going well for us,” Grace says.
At the 2018 Land Rover Sale six mares.
This class is designed to showcase the Irish Draught broodmare and foal as a unit.
Also new to the programme is a ridden class for Irish Draught mares only.
In recent years the ridden classes at this show have become hugely popular, and the Irish Horse Gateway National Performance Irish Draught Championship, worth €1,000, is always hotly contested.
IHG will also offer the Inward Buyer Scheme for registered horses exhibited at at Goffs they sold a three-yearold by Carlotamix to the Doyles of Monbeg Stables for €28,000. It was a nice touch, having picked up the grey for €6,000 as a foal at Tattersalls in 2015.
For now though all eyes will be on Dublin and the team are looking forward to a busy few days.
“Mum won’t be able to make it sadly, but Lorna will be there as she rides Boston Bob in the Racehorse to Riding Horse class,” adds Grace. the show.
Other ridden classes include those for side-saddle and working hunter class for traditional Irish horses, sponsored by the Horse Sport Ireland Breeding Fund to the tune of €1,500.
Over in the in-hand rings, the ever-popular FBD Mare of the Future for four, five and sixyear-old mares (with a foal at foot) boasts a prize-fund of €600.
A full schedule is available on www.idhba. ie Entries close on Friday, August 24.