The Irish draughts fared somewhat better than their sport horse compatriots at the recent Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) stallion inspections in Cavan Equestrian Centre.

Judged not only on movement, conformation and athleticism but on type as well, five of the 22 candidates achieved class one status.

Selection panel chair Dr Charlotte Moore commented: “Some very nice individuals were of a very high standard.”

The inspectors were more than midway through the list of 22 before they were able to announce their first class one success. This came for good performance six-year-old, Dennistown Prince of Pride, owned by Wexford’s Katie Stafford and bred by Andrew Waldron of Wicklow. He is from a good line of performance Irish draughts including Crosstown Dancer and Flagmount Diamond by King of Diamonds. His dam traces back to Diamonds are Trumps.

Good passes came faster after that. Paul O’Neill’s Highfield Tornado scored well into the 80s to be the second to pass into class one. Bred by PJ Sheerin he is a good outcross as he goes back to Shandrum Prince and Galgorm on his sire side and to Gildalton Gold and Lahinch through his dam Digby Dell.

Next in, Seamus Sloyan’s King Elvis 1, made it two in a row. Bred by Seamus himself, he has some famous ID sires in his background like Pride of Shaunlara, Milerstone and Fast Silver. He also has a touch of thoroughbred three generations back by way of Prefairy.

Variety of outcross breeding continued in the next candidate as Siorcha Redmond and John Roseingrave’s Murrisk The Holy Grail got his class one sash. He has Holycross, Bren Purple and Laughtom in his background. His dam Ashlawn Star gives him Grey Macha and Pride of Toame’s blood. Michael Grady of Murrisk, Co Mayo, bred him.

Mary McGrath of the Curragh bred the final successful candidate Rosetown Rambler. He is out of Mary’s Dreamtime Sarah Ann who traces back to the legendary King of Diamonds through Echo King and Flagmount King. Shown by Gabriel Slattery of Claremorris, he brought joy to new owner Johnny Geoghegan.

The pure drop

Often referred to as the “pure drop” of our Irish sport horse, the Irish Draught still has an important role to play in Ireland’s breeding programmes.

Combined with the thoroughbred, it had played its part in producing some of our most famous show jumping and eventing stars of the last century.

Since the new millennium both it and the thoroughbred have been eclipsed by the continental warmblood revolution among Irish breeders.

Yet its combination of good temperament, soundness and longevity cannot be ignored. It was good to see performance feature among successful class one Cavan candidates.