27/06/08 THE FIFTH leg in the Irish Sport Horse Showjumping Series 2008 took place at Kennedy's Dohyle House Stud Show, which ran from 20th to 21st June. There was €10,000 in prize money on offer, as well as €800 in breeders' prizes. It was Eddie Moloney's weekend after he was victorious in both of Saturday's finals, with his own horse You Two Norma (ISH) in the 5 Year Old Final and with John McDonald's Chatsworths Top Quality (ISH) in the 6/7 Year Old Final. Thanks to all those involved in the Kennedy's Dohyle House Stud Show for all their help with this leg of the series. The next leg will take place at Omagh Show, which runs from 4th to 5th July. Full results, breeding information and league standings are detailed below.

27/06/08 EARLIER this year, Horse Sport Ireland, in conjunction with the Irish Pony Society, were delighted to announce a new initiative, the 'Pony Champion of Champions'. The aim of these classes is to support our pony breeders by offering them the opportunity to showcase their youngstock at shows throughout the country. The 'Pony Champion of Champions' will be sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland and run under the auspices of the Irish Pony Society and in conjunction with the Irish Shows Association. There will be 12 qualifiers held, throughout the 32 counties, leading to a final. A total prize fund of €5,000 is on offer for this championship. 12 qualifiers will be held throughout the country at the following venues (3 per province): ~ Claremorris Agricultural Show – 25th May 2008 ~ Kenmare Agricultural Show – 01st June 2008 ~ Ballymoney Agricultural Show – 06th June 2008 ~ Armagh Agricultural Show – 14th June 2008 ~ Cork Summer Show – 22nd June 2008 ~ Enniscorthy Agricultural Show – 28th June 2008 ~ Charleville Agricultural Show – 28th June 2008 ~ Athlone Agricultural Show – 29th June 2008 ~ Bannow & Rathangan Agricultural Show – 10th July 2008 ~ Wicklow In-Hand Show – 12th July 2008 ~ Sligo Agricultural Show – 19th July 2008 ~ Clogher Valley Agricultural Show – 30th July 2008 The final will be held at the Irish Pony Society Championship Show at Cavan Equestrian Centre, which runs from 2nd to 3rd August 2008. The 'Horse Sport Ireland Pony Champion of Champions' final will take place on the evening of 2nd August. Results from the first four qualifiers are detailed below.

27/06/08 HORSE Sport Ireland today (Friday) announced the names of the squads of Junior and Young Riders who will compete for Ireland at the European Show Jumping Championships in Prague on July 16-20. Following a training day at Coilog Equestrian Centre in Kildare yesterday (Thursday) Horse Sport Ireland junior and young rider Show Jumping High Performance Coach Comdt. John Ledingham, released the following names for the squads in alphabetical order: JUNIOR EUROPEAN SQUAD BLAKE, DAVID; KILLARD HORIZON DRAIN, CONOR; FINE FILLY and SHANROE SPIRIT HIGGINS, JOHN; FLAMING STAR MCPARLAND, DECLAN; CORD A LOU O'CONNOR, KELLY; DOC HOLIDAY Non Travelling Reserve HARRISON, ROBERT; FRITAG 18

26/06/08 IRISH riders failed to take any trophies at the opening day (Thursday) of the Hickstead Derby Meeting, England, but made up for it by sheer weight of top ten finishers. Shane Breen took second place in the Speed Derby Qualifier with Carmel Ryan's Irish-bred stallion 'Royal Concorde', finishing less than half a second behind Britain's Ben Maher. But from fifth place down to 10th, the Irish filled all the slots, headed by Strabane's Peter Smyth with 'Hygie de Golf', and including in descending order Trevor Breen with 'Athea Clover Mist', Ronan McLaughlin on 'Illinoise de Cabdula', Trevor Breen and 'Adventure de Kannon', Mark Flynn with 'Highlander' and Olive Clarke on 'Butler's Pantry Paradise G'.

24/06/08 IRELAND finished sixth in the Superleague Nations Cup at Rotterdam CSIO 5* last week. The team included two Irish Sport Horses, River Foyle (ISH) & Captain Shane Carey (Irl) and Mo Chroi (ISH) & Captain David O'Brien (Irl). In Drammen, Ireland finished fourth in the 4* Nations Cup, with Cavinem (ISH) & Anthony Condon (Irl) and Cruise With Me (ISH) & David Simpson being included on the team. At the same show, Cruise With Me (ISH) and David Simpson (Irl) finished in a very impressive second place in the Drammen Grand Prix, taking home their share of the €20,000 prize fund. Marion Hughes (Irl) also enjoyed Grand Prix success when she finished second in the Vilamoura Grand Prix class with Heritage Transmission (ISH), which boasted a prize fund of €69,000. In the same class, Harry Marshall (Irl) and Mandarin Smoke (ISH) finished in ninth place, also taking home a share of the prize money.

22/06/08 IRELAND'S David Simpson was just a time fault away from forcing a jump-off in this afternoon's (Sunday) Grand Prix Of Norway at Drammen. On board the grey Cruising mare 'Cruise With Me', Simpson cleared all the Grand Prix fences faultlessly, but a time fault denied him a head-to-head jump-off with local favourite Tony Andre Hansen, who went one better on 'Camiro 19' with a fault-free round inside the allotted time. Norway's Oien Christian Anfinnsen was the only other rider to leave all fences standing, but, like Simpson, incurred one time fault and had to settle for third with a slower time.

22/06/08 Tholm Keane put himself very much back into the reckoning in the Showjumpingireland National Grand Prix League by taking the latest round at West Clare today (Sunday) on board Redmills Warrenstown You 2. It took a sterling effort by the organisers to ensure that the event went ahead after overnight wind and rain damaged many of the fixtures. By start time the conditions had improved, and the hilly location helped drain the water away. With the course marvelously restored and the sun shining through, the startlist of 29 had just the wind to contend with as they tackled James Tarrant's course, with 15 making it through to the jump-off.

21/06/08 TWO YOUNG riders making their Nations' Cup debut today (Saturday) helped Ireland take fourth place in the Norwegian Nations' Cup. Twenty-one year old Anthony Condon had a first round clear with Michael Connaughton's ten year-old Irish-bred mare 'Cavinem', while 19 year-old David Simpson had just one fence down in each round on another Irish-bred, the Cruising mare 'Cruise With Me'. While the more experienced Shane Breen ran into trouble on a nine-fault first round penalty with 'Little Ear' and did not jump in the second round, Nations' Cup veteran Cameron Hanley recorded four faults first time out but delivered a much-needed zero score with 'Southwind VDL' on his second attempt, leaving Ireland with a creditable 16 faults on the finishing scoreboard.

21/06/08 HEAVY morning rain did not dampen the spirits of the 16 starters at the Saintfield Grand Prix in Co. Down today (Saturday) where 21 year-old Louth rider Mark Mcauley took the winner's laurels on his first Grand Prix with a new horse, Samuel McQuaid's 'Drumagoland Flight'. Raymond Jess's course yielded only four clear rounds and so two four-faulters were added to the six-horse jump-off. McAuley, from Ardee, wrenched the trophy from former World Champion Dermott Lennon, who was fractions of a second behind with Woods Rosbotham's 'Hallmark Elite'. Co. Down-based Lennon also slotted his own 'Lanceretto' into fourth place. However, it was Mcauley who was smiling the most as he picked up the winner's cheque. ''I've had this ride for only a month, '' he said. ''I am absolutely delighted with today's performance. This is only our second competition together, and certainly our first Grand Prix.''

21/06/08 IRISH riders Denis Lynch and Thomas Ryan were prominent throughout today (Saturday) at the three-star show in Norten-Hardenburg, Germany, with top ten paces in three competitions. Tonight Tipperary-born Lynch slotted Flaminia Straumann's 'Nabab's Son' into runner-up spot in the Gothaer Trophy Winning Round competition, behind Germany's Markus Beerbaum, while Ryan placed Glori Eschenbach's 'Urleven van de Helle' in fourth. Earlier, in the Norten Hardenburg championship class, Ryan and 'Gran Carthago' took fifth, while Lynch dropped one pole in a bid for the fastest time, but still managed an eighth place.