Cheltenham legend Paddy de Plaster wins the Racehorse to Riding Horse
Class at Armagh Show with Joanne Quirke on board,and qualify for the
Racehorse to Riding Horse Invitational Event at the Dublin Horse Show.
Also pictured are Hulie Morrirs (Racehorse to Riding Horse) , and
Angela McDonagh (Judge); Julie Morris
and Louise Halford (judge.) Photo Tanya Fowles

Benny O’Kane tackling the imaginative course designed by Davy McLaughlin and his team 

On the weekend of 7th and 8th June the Mid Antrim Hunt hosted a two day Inter Hunt Chase with a Barbeque on the Saturday night and, as a Dublin Qualifier for the finals at the RDS Show in August, it attracted a good entry of teams from the Southern packs. Davy McLaughlin and his team had built a very imaginative course with all sorts of obstacles along the way, even including a pair of ghostly dummies at the end of the track. The Saturday kicked off with the pony teams competing in the most difficult of conditions and much to the annoyance of Davy McLaughlin, who had been the chief course builder, the ground which had been perfect the day before, became saturated. This did not deter the teams and the winning pony team, Rosie’s Rockets, consisted of Joe and Bob Hamilton, with Joe riding two different mounts, and Laura Gordon. The Belgium Belles, named because of their very successful recent visit there for pony club games, were second with an all female team of Orla O’Kane, Erin Dunseath, Brigid Delargy and Courtney Hamilton. The Dingles with James and Sarah McNabney, Josh Marks and William Hamilton, were third.

Brigid Delargy of the ‘Belgium Belle’s’

The adults came next with the weather improving marginally but the ground was more like winter hunting than mid summer. The Killinick teams had come all the way from Wexford and were unbelievably professional with their speed and slick change-overs. The Killinicks proved victorious with their “White” team of Johnnie Roche, Benny & Keira Walsh, and James Rath beating their “Wine” team of Jass Codd, Conor Scallon and Katy Stafford into second. The Ward Union and the Kildare Black teams were joint third. The home team of the Mid Antrims were not so lucky this time with their team consisting of Beverley Caves, Richard Cowan, Fiona Magill and Orla McLaughlin, but Fiona Magill definitely gets the prize for stickability staying on her horse when it seemed impossible. The one person who did not enjoy the day as much as he should, was Jamie Sloan, normally part of the team but grounded with a broken ankle, but he did manage to help out all he could and presented the rosettes on both days, with the aid of his crutches.

Orla O’Kane & Erin Dunseath of the ‘Belgium Belle’s’

The next day was a very different story with the weather, and with sunshine and a good drying wind, the rearranged course set up by the river had much better going than the previous day. This time the Killinick White were victorious again with the Taras in second, the Kildare Black and Killinick Wine teams were joint third. The Killultagh, Mid Antrim, Kildare Green, and Ward Unions were also competing with the Mids having Benny O’Kane in their team on the Sunday. The two Best Turned Out Prizes were awarded on the Sunday as the conditions had been so bad the day before, and they were won by the Taras and the Kildare Blacks. After this came the pony pairs competition and the girls Orla O’Kane and Erin Dunseath on their grey ponies rode brilliant rounds to beat Joe Hamilton and Laura Gordon into second place, with the Hooligans team of Bob Hamilton and William Hamilton third, and The Boss’s team of Courtney Hamilton & Brigid Delargy fourth.

Killinicks v Killultaghs in hot competition

They would also like to thank Ian Wilson of Wilson’s Auctions who very kindly provided the commentary van, Noel Fitzpatrick who was as helpful as ever bringing many of the jumps, Doherty and Gray for sponsoring much of the meat for the barbeque, Ballymena Rugby Club for providing such a perfect venue for all the hunt chasing as well as the evening’s entertainment, the hard-working ladies who beavered away with the food preparation, and last but not least all Davy McLaughlin and his band of helpers who put so much work into the preparation, re-arrangement, and dismantling of the course.

Written by Brian Hennessy

Owned by Mary Ellen De Ruschi, the seven year old stallion Hitchcock Van Overis is by the stallion Darco out of a Corrado dam and this latest result is Greg Broderick’s second win in this year’s 7 & 8 year-old RDS qualifiers, having also finished first at the Meadows Equestrian Centre with Javas Keltic Mist.

Barnadown’s 7 & 8 year-old RDS qualifier was sponsored by George Mullins Transport Carlow and runner up spot went to Co Westmeath rider Michael Murphy aboard Francis Derwin’s seven year old gelding Curra Quin (by Harlequin Du Carel out of a Clover Hill dam).

Cavan rider Neal Fearon will have a busy week at the 2014 Dublin Horse Show, having already booked a ticket to the Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year-old International class at the RDS with Camillo VDL at the second qualifier in Coilog, Fearon was in electrifying form at Barnadown taking third place with the FT Showjumpers owned Cessina 4 (by Converter out of a Come On mare), while Fearon also took the fifth and final golden ticket to the RDS on offer at the Wexford venue with another seven year old, KMS Clintland, owned by Ivor Broderick the gelding is by Clinton out of a Corland dam.

Waterford’s Francis Connors also booked a place in the Dublin Horse Show, Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year-old International class when finishing in fourth place at Barnadown with the only mare in the top five, Hilda Anthony’s Lates Du Carel who as the name suggests is by Harlequin du Carel out of a Calypso dam

This is the third year that Connolly’s RED MILLS have sponsored the prestigious International 7 & 8 year old competition at the RDS, which features the top twenty combinations from four qualifiers held around Ireland, who are then joined at the Dublin Horse Show by up to twenty-four additional International entries from around the world.

Last year saw German rider Rolf Moormann and Valeska 96 crowned Connolly’s RED MILLS International 7 & 8 year old champions at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show, with Irish rider Eddie Moloney runner up with MHS Prime while third place went to Tipperary’s Greg Broderick with MHS Going Global.

The fourth and final qualifier for the Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year-old International class at the RDS will take place on June 25th at Galway Equestrian Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway

Result Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 Year old  - Third RDS Qualifier – Barnadown Co Wexford 11/06/2014

1st Greg Broderick/Hitchcock Van Overis

2nd Michael Murphy/Curra Quin

3rd Neal Fearon/Cessina 4

4th Francis Connors/Lates Du Carel

5th Neal Fearon/KMS Clintland

Result Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 Year old  - Second RDS Qualifier – Coilog Co Kildare 21/05/2014

1st Gerard O Neill/Hyakari

2nd Neal Fearon/Camillo VDL

3rd Seamus Hayes/Chipolini VMZ

4th Darryl Walker/Cushions

5th Kilian Browne/Georgie D’Auvray

Result Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 Year old  - First RDS Qualifier – The Meadows Co Armagh 07/05/2014

1st Greg Broderick/Javas Keltic Mist

2nd Sean Kavanagh/Brookwood Supersonic

3rd Alexander Butler/Hallowberry Cruz

4th Declan Egan/Cristobar

5th Shannon Mackenzie/Bens Lady Lux