South County Dublin Hunt Show in aid of St. Raphael’s in Celbridge
Nicola FitzGibbon and Puissance on their way to winning the 2010 South County Dublin Junior Hunt Premier Series Grand Prix
The annual South County Dublin Hunt Show takes place this weekend at Coilog Equestrian where it forms the penultimate leg of the ShowjumpingIreland Premier Series.
Run in aid of the special needs Children and adults attending St. Raphael’s Celbridge, the show always attracts the best competitors from around the country and in previous has attracted riders from as far as Hong Kong and Australia.
Organised every year by Maureen Bagnall, the show boasts a massive total prize fund of almost €35,000, and this year’s show will yet again be one of the highlights of the year.
Sunday’s Premier Series Grand Prix will be the highlight of the prestigious weekend which has a prize fund of €12,000. The Grand Prix will feature 30 of Ireland’s best riders and horses who will be out to gain some valuable experience ahead of the Dublin Horse Show which starts the following Wednesday. Won in past years by Conor Swail, Cian O’Connor, Shane Breen, Jack and Edward Doyle and many more of the biggest names in Irish Show Jumping the South County Grand Prix is one of the biggest Grand Prix to win.
This year, the South County Dublin Junior Hunt Grand Prix, sponsored by Brian Bagnall & Associates, will be a very important leg of the league with Riders aiming to gain as many points as possible before the final which will be held later in August. Currently leading the league is Malahide Based Paul O’Shea, however hot on his heels are Meath based John Floody and Kildare rider Nicola FitzGibbon.
FitzGibbon was the winner of this Grand Prix last year before going on to be crowned the ShowjumpingIreland National Champion and will no doubt be out to keep her name at the head affairs.
Also on the cards is the annual Glencarraig Lady League Final for the Pony riders, which is always a very exciting class. This class is aimed at bringing on riders under the age of 12 and offers them some wonderful prizes for the Final.
The Ballymaloe Country Relish Ladies Final worth €2,000 takes place on Sunday and is sure to be an extremely competitive class. There are 4 Regional Finals in the Ballymaloe Country Relish Ladies League and the South County Show hosts the Leinster Final with some Ireland’s biggest Female Show Jumping names getting their turn in the spotlight in one of the richest classes of the weekend.
Ireland’s Young Riders have been blazing the trail around Europe in recent years, and the South County Show offers those in the Under 21 age bracket with the chance to win a €500 Training Bursary is they are the Leading Young Rider in the Main Arena. They will also have the chance to compete in the Junior and Young Rider Grand Prix which takes place shortly after the Premier Series Grand Prix.
There are also classes for all ages including the Tiny Tots, Lead Rein and competitions for Under 10’s, and Under 6’s. This truly is a show for all the family.
The action gets underway on Friday and runs until Sunday with the Grand Prix taking place on Sunday at approximately 2pm. Entry to the grounds is free, however there is as always a Gate Collection for St. Raphaels.