Parknasilla goes through the card

Paula Stammschroer's Parknasilla made history yesterday as the first four-year-old to go through the card at the RDS, claiming…

Paula Stammschroer's Parknasilla made history yesterday as the first four-year-old to go through the card at the RDS, claiming the supreme, lightweight, four-year-old and ladies' hunter championships to scoop £2,735 of the Bewley's Aparthotel prize fund.

Parknasilla had sailed through his lightweight division on Wednesday and looked certain to take the Weight Cup 24 hours later, even though the form book had been torn up in the heavy and medium-weight deciders.

Defending champion Formidable, which Frances Cash had ridden to take the supreme, heavyweight and four-year-old titles for owners Tony and Julie Lockwood 12 months ago, was overlooked for the honours this time round, losing out to the year younger Trigger's Law for the Weight Cup.

There was a degree of indecision before the announcement of the medium-weight winner, with adjudicators Allister Hood and Chris Hunnable keeping the ringside judges guessing before bypassing Aaron McCusker's much fancied Cowboy Magic Hilton and giving the championship to Sylvia Clifford's Tyrella Stormy Weather.

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Cariad McAlpine's Favour Royal, which had stood second to the Clifford horse in the five-year-old class, was reserve.

Few attempted to second-guess the recipient of the lightweight honours but these duly went to Parknasilla, which performed impeccably throughout for George Mernagh.

The three weight champions then met in a head-to-head for the supreme. And while Parknasilla maintained his gentlemanly behaviour, heavyweight winner Trigger's Law allowed the occasion to get to him and threw away a serious challenge to the lightweight.

Trigger's Law did stand reserve to Parknasilla in the four-year-old but was ignored for the reserve supreme in favour of the grey Tyrella Stormy Weather.

The clean sweep looked under threat when Parknasilla was pulled in fourth in the lightweight division of the ladies, with Clare MacMahon in the saddle. However, the horse's class shone through and he was promoted to stand top of the line, going on to take the ladies' championship.