FRANK Schuttert closed the curtain on the young horse classes at the Dublin Horse Show when triumphing in the Connolly’s Red Mills-sponsored Seven and Eight-Year-Old Final. The Dutch rider took the victory out of Irish hands and secured the majority of the €14,000 purse with Beautiful Red.

Owned by Ashford Farms and Jos Lansink, the eight-year-old Beautiful Red is by Casall out of the Colman-sired dam Ulla G. Schuttert took over the ride in May of this season with Sunday’s win as the pair’s best result to date.

Speaking to The Irish Field, Schuttert said: “I only have the horse for a few months and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to ride her. She really is a lovely mare, she’s careful, has scope and a great mind. It’s my first time to come to Dublin and I’ll hopefully be back again. I plan now to give the mare a little break. I think it’s very important when they are young and jumping this height that they get a break now and again.”

Alan Wade designed the course which yielded a total of 10 clears from the starting 26 with only three of those slots filled by the seven-year-old horses. Irish riders, having accounted for the wins in the two qualifying rounds, had looked to have a strong hand with five riders in total making it back to the jump-off in the final.

Commenting on the course, Schuttert said: “In the beginning it looked very difficult, there were very few clear rounds but in the end I think the course builder had it right.”

Schuttert had come at the end of the jump-off and set a blistering pace when stopping the clock in a fault-free 32.10 seconds.

The Dutch rider had snatched the win by mere fractions out of the hands of Ger O’Neill. As third to go, O’Neill had laid down the gauntlet for following riders when recording 32.28 aboard Castlefield Vegas. By Cassino, the seven-year-old gelding is out of the Lux Z-sired Clarkes Quiet Optimistic.

Castlefield Vegas has only begun his showjumping career this season and has had a meteoric rise through the ranks. Currently leading the seven-year-old divisions in the HSI Irish Studbook Series after victories in Barnadown, Tattersalls and Maryville, the gelding was impressive throughout the week of Dublin winning Wednesday’s round as well as finishing fourth in a competitive jump-off on Friday.

Philip McGuane was another rider to finish off a consistent week when taking third position with Judas VD Donkhoeve. The penultimate rider in the timed decider, McGuane put in a good effort to cross the line in 33.15. McGuane and the Beat Mändli-owned Judas VD Donkhoeve had also featured in both qualifying rounds with the eight-year-old Ugano Sitte-sired gelding finishing sixth and third during the week.

Canada’s Tiffany Foster supplied the only other double clear on the day to secure fourth place. Riding the talented eight-year-old Cristos-sired stallion Christos, Foster posted a textbook performance when breaking the beams in 35.06.

The Irish filled the next three places in the line-up.

Bertram Allen had logged the fastest time of the day with Calafrieda, completing in 30.98 albeit with a single error at the double. The seven-year-old Canto 16-sired mare is proving to be an exciting future prospect, showing good form when winning Friday’s class and having already featured this season at the young horse classes in Hamburg and Aachen.

Greg Broderick and Clem McMahon were caught out by the same obstacle, although both faulted on the way in to the double. Broderick proved the faster of the two, recording 31.56 with Cartouche V Overis Z, while McMahon and Pacifico came home in 31.68.