An action packed four days of show jumping action is underway at Barnadown near Gorey, with the Final round of both the Leinster Summer Tour and TRM/Horseware National Grand Prix league, forming part of the lucrative Irish Breeders Classic weekend at the Wexford venue.

 

The Leinster Summer Tour has already visited eleven shows throughout the Leinster province and with points and a half on offer at this Sunday’s final round in Barnadown, which is sponsored by Shires Equestrian Products, a host of riders are still in with a chance of being crowned 2014 LST champion.

 

Kilkenny’s Eddie Moloney lies in pole position on 25 points with Pashmina K, after picking up 13 points in the last two rounds at Coilog and Iverk. Co Tyrone’s Peter Smyth has led the LST for much of the season with Admiran Cassio and now lies in second spot just two points behind Moloney.

 

Gerard Clarke occupies third place on 20 points with Kings Best, while Kieran Carey with Hip Boy and Tom Slattery with Castleforbes Cicely are just one point further back in joint fourth place on the league table. Derek McConnell (Callaghstown Roxy Touch) and Daniel Coyle (Uptown Girl) are also in with a real chance of taking the title, with just seven points separating the top seven on the table.

 

It promises to be a dramatic final round, with a whopping €4,000 going to the overall winner and a further €1,500 to the runner-up. The leading young rider of the LST will receive a week’s training plus accommodation for horse and rider with Olympic bronze medallist Cian O’Connor at his Karlswood base. The LST final gets underway at 9am in Barnadown on Sunday.

 

 

Barnadown also plays host to the final round of the TRM/Horseware National Grand Prix league on Saturday, with Meath’s Alexander Butler at the top of the table with 81 points. Kilkenny’s Vincent Byrne, who had led the series for much of the year, is currently second on 74 while newly crowned Irish National Show Jumping Champion Greg Broderick, who has won the Grand Prix league in 2012 and 2013, is just two points further adrift in third. Sunday’s final round of the series at Barnadown is sponsored by Equine International Shipping

 

Another highlight at Barnadown this weekend will be The Irish Breeders Classic, the world’s richest young horse show jumping competition with a whopping €50,000 prize fund.

 

This year’s Irish Breeders Classic has attracted its biggest ever entry, with almost 100 horses entered in the 5 & 6 year old competition, while close to 50 of Ireland’s top four year-old horses will line out in a separate competition, with a further €5,000 up for grabs. 

 

Sunday promises to be a real family day out at the Irish Breeders Classic, where along with the lucrative IBC and LST Finals, a range of extra events will take place including a novelty Dog Show, Miniature Horse display, Pony rides, bouncy castle, donkey derby, bungee jumping and face painting. 

 

Along with four days of exciting show jumping action, The Irish Breeders Classic will also provide the perfect platform to purchase the next jumping super-star, as Goresbridge Horse-Sales will host a Supreme Sale of Show Jumpers at the Wexford venue. Viewing will take place at the Barnadown jumping complex on Thursday and Friday, with the auction taking place at the nearby Amber Springs Hotel on Friday evening.

 

The list of top class horses on offer includes recent Millstreet Ruby 5 year old champion and Dublin Horse Show runner up Ard Ginger Pop, and also Talks Cheap, who finished third in the six year old championship at the Dublin Horse Show this year.

 

Newly crowned Millstreet Young Irelander 3 year-old champion Larev Vendi is also among the lots on offer, along with BEC Lorenzo and Hashtag, who both finished in the National Discovery Final top five at Millstreet during August this year.

 

The Irish Breeders Classic will also host a very special Sport Horse Foal Sale at Barnadown on Sunday, with young-stock some of Europe’s top show jumping stallions on offer. Admission is free on all four days of the Irish Breeders Classic with voluntary donations being accepted at the gate for Barretstown and Gorey Day Care centre.