Launch of the Irish Breeders Classic 2015
The €50,000 Irish Breeders Classic was launched last week at Jim Bolger’s Beechy Park Estate in Rathvilly, Co. Carlow. The Irish Breeders Classic is a young horse showjumping competition that is confined to Irish born sport horses and it boasts a massive €50,000 prize fund making it the ‘Richest Young Horse Showjumping Competition in the World’. The concept was created to boost demand for horses bred by Irish breeders and 2015 will be its fourth year running. The event will run as a part of a show organised by Maurice and Felicity Cousins at their state of the art facility at Barnadown, Gorey, Co. Wexford from 3rd – 6th September.
L to R: Jim Bolger, Paddy Dalton, Ronan Rothwell, Terry Cloon, Elaine Hatton, Suzanne Eivers. Left to right kneeling: Maurice Cousins, Ger O Neill
Photo: Thomas Sunderland Photography
Last year Goresbridge Horse Sales hosted an auction called the ‘Irish Breeders Classic Supreme Sale of Showjumpers’ at the event that was a huge success and a great benefit to the Irish sporthorse industry. Last year’s sale included Ard Ginger Pop achieving €95,000 which went on to win the silver medal at the World Breeding Championships at Lanaken, Belgium a few weeks later. Talks Cheap was also sold on the auction for €50,000 and landed the winners pot in the Irish Breeders Classic a few days later. This year will see a continued association between the Goresbridge Horse Sales and the Irish Breeders Classic. A selection of exquisitely bred foals will be auctioned off at the show and a hand-picked selection of world class young horses will be auctioned in November. Goresbridge will be generously donating 2% of the proceeds of the sale to the Irish Breeders Classic prize fund.
Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli (SWE) & Ard Ginger Pop (ISH)
The prize fund is generated by voluntary contributions from organisations and individuals associated with the industry who all come together with a common goal of improving the Irish Sport Horse industry. Jim Bolger, world renowned racehorse trainer, Horse Sport Ireland, the governing body of the sport horse industry, Goresbridge Horse Sales, Transfer Mate, an Irish foreign currency exchange company and Showjumping Ireland who govern showjumping in Ireland are the main sponsors of the event for 2015. Along with these title sponsors of the event, a large list of new and loyal smaller sponsors will make the Classic a success this year.
“It’s the sponsors that make the Irish Breeders Classic what it is. It is now an internationally respected class and some world class horses have benefited from its existence. For it to continue growing we need everyone to give as much business as they can to our sponsors” Irish Breeders Classic founder Ronan Rothwell explained. Indeed the list of horses that have achieved high profile success post competing in the Classic is eye catching. None more than MHS Going Global who finished 4th in the inaugural event and is now a very important member of the Irish Nations Cup team and a recent podium finisher in the elite Global Champions Tour.
Greg Broderick (IRL) & MHS Going Global (ISH).
Photo: Global Champions Tour
Jim Bolger, who has been a loyal supporter of the event since its inception said, “the Irish Sport Horse industry generates nearly a billion euro to the Irish economy annually and is grossly under funded by the state and I think it’s fantastic to see like-minded people come together to develop their industry and I am proud to be a part of it”.
If you would like to enjoy the spectacle of showjumping at its best and a great day out arena side dining tables can be booked in advance.
For a full list of sponsors, to support or find out more about the Irish Breeders Classic log on to www.irishbreedersclassic.com or call Ronan Rothwell 087 6482155. You can also keep up to date with the progress of the event by following Irish Breeders Classic on Facebook and Twitter.
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