Stallions in Focus – Edenagor Star

Horse Sport Ireland is pleased to announce the Class 1 Irish Draught stallion Edenagor Star as February’s Irish Draught Stallion of the Month.

Edenagor Star is by Dunsandle Diamond (IDC1) and is out of Edenagor Rosie (IDC1) by Carrickrock Close Shave (IDC1).

Bred in Co. Donegal by Jim McNulty, Edenagor Star is owned by William McMahon and Grace Maxwell–Murphy in Craughwell, Co. Galway. In 2023, Edenagor Star earned his Class 1 status at the Horse Sport Ireland Stallion Selections in Cavan Equestrian Centre, and then went on to win the Irish Draught Stallion Class at the RDS Dublin Horse Show that same year.

Speaking to Horse Sport Ireland about the stallion, Grace gave us a little more detail about Edenagor Star’s history and future plans.

“As a child, I ogled from afar at the Irish Draught Stallion class in the RDS and dreamed of one day finding a stallion good enough to go up and win that class. I knew what I wanted — I just had to find him. I wasn’t even sure if God had made him yet.

I first saw a photograph of Star as a foal advertised for sale in a Facebook group. He was listed as heading to auction in Claremorris Horse and Pony Sales that Sunday. I got there early and scoured the collecting area and the car park looking for him, showing his photo to people and asking if anyone had seen the foal or knew who owned him.

Eventually, I discovered he belonged to a man named Jim McNulty from Donegal. However, Donegal had gone into county Covid lockdown the day before, and I was told he likely wouldn’t travel. I was disappointed. I went on to buy a filly that day — but the colt never left my mind.

The following day I made a few calls, got Jim’s number and phoned him. We were so afraid he would be sold that we downed tools and drove to Donegal that very day.

It was love at first sight. He was everything we wanted and more. He had masses of bone, legs like tree trunks and extraordinary quality to go with it. He had so much substance that it was hard to believe he could move so light on his feet. We had genuinely never seen a nicer foal in our lives.

The traditional type and bone were becoming scarce in the Irish Draught — and here stood a colt who had it in abundance, with quality and movement to boot.

My mother had died suddenly a few weeks earlier. I remember picking up the phone to call her and tell her, “I’ve found him,” and I’ll never forget the pang of sadness I felt in my heart when I realised I couldn’t.

He came home at weaning that October and when spring came we buddied him up with a few others. He never came in off grass again until inspection time two years later.

It was our first time ever presenting a stallion. We were excited but nervous — simply hoping others would see what we saw, and hoping we were not wrong.

Inspection day arrived in Cavan in 2023 — and so did our son, Archie.

I had given birth the day before, and William was busy readying Star for his big day.

By 4am the next morning, I decided I was going. I had dreamed about this day for three years and I wasn’t missing it. I stayed mostly in the jeep until it was nearly his turn, then shuffled my way to the gallery to watch him, Archie tucked safely inside my coat.

It was overwhelming. Emotional. Magical.

Watching him move through his paces — and watching the body language of the people around the ring — is something I’ll never forget. When he was awarded Class 1 status, we were beyond proud. It meant so much to us. We felt a huge sense of achievement that day.

I’ll always remember the kindness shown to us too — Susan Finnerty capturing a family moment that created a lifelong memory, friends doting over our newborn baby.

Champion at Dublin

We had never planned beyond approval. Standing a stallion was never the master plan. Yet as time passed, we fell more in love with him — and the thought of selling him disappeared.

We decided to aim for the 2023 Dublin Horse Show, unsure if he would be mature enough. But his temperament made the decision easy. He had been collecting semen regularly and was impeccably mannered. Nothing unsettled him. We knew he was ready.

I will never forget watching him enter the Dublin ring. I became tearful. There he was — our horse — admired, discussed, photographed. I could hear people asking, “Who is that stallion?” Foreign visitors pointing towards him.

When he was pulled in as the winner, it was unforgettable. When he was crowned Champion Irish Draught Stallion, it was one of our proudest moments.

But he didn’t rest on his laurels.

Just two weeks later, he took the overall title at the Price Family In-Hand Qualifier in Mullingar against every other breed present — sport horses, Connemaras, Welsh ponies. That win earned him a ticket to the Horse of the Year Show in England and put him into the history books as the first Irish Draught stallion to qualify for this prestigious final.

Making History on the Biggest Stage

At the Horse of the Year Show, he took it all in his stride.

He travelled beautifully, settled immediately, and represented the Irish Draught breed with dignity and presence. To stand among those extraordinary finalists — and to place eighth against that calibre of competition — was an enormous achievement.

He has already put beautiful foals on the ground. Seeing his stock arrive has been incredibly exciting — strong, correct foals with bone and quality stamped through them.

He has crossed particularly well with Thoroughbred and sport horse mares, producing athletic types without losing substance.

We have a very exciting foal due out of a mare who is a full sister to the three-time Horse of the Year Show hunter champion, Viewpoint. To have his sister carrying a Star foal feels very special. It will be fascinating to see how he blends with that half-bred blood.

It has been an incredible journey for us as a couple. We searched for years for a colt we could genuinely believe in as a future stallion. When we found him, he was the first horse we looked at and said:

“This is him.”

To see that belief realised has been deeply rewarding.

More than titles or accolades, our hope is simple.

We hope Edenagor Star can contribute meaningfully to the Irish Draught breed — that he can put back bone, substance and true traditional type while maintaining quality and movement. If he can leave that footprint, then everything we dreamed about will have been worthwhile.

And for us, he will always be our first love — the Star that we found together and the dream that we fulfilled.

But Star is only six years old, and his story is only just beginning. We look forward to bringing him back to the RDS this year.”

Horse Sport Ireland would like to wish William and Grace the best of luck with the season ahead.

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