EDDIE Moloney claimed the second of last Sunday morning’s Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored young horse championships at the Dublin Horse Show, victorious in the €10,000 Six-Year-Old Cruising National Championship with Temple Alice.

Course builder Frank Glynn again pitted his wits against the 16 finalists coming through. While quite a few could negotiate his course without lowering a pole the time allowed of 79 seconds was the deciding factor on how many made it through to the jump-off, with six riders denied a place due to time penalties. In the end a tidy finish was ensured when a further six logged faultless rounds inside the alotted time.

In a similar fashion to the earlier five-year-old championship, Eddie Moloney, as second to go, set an unbeatable standard of 40.66 seconds which proved just out of reach for the riders to come.

Bred by Susan McDonald, Temple Alice represents some of the best of Irish bloodlines in his back breeding. Sired by Foxglen Cruise Control (Luidam x Cruising), the gelding is out of the dam Innishannon Shamrock (Rantis Diamond x Clover Hill).

Formerly campaigned by Tholm Keane to great success, Temple Alice was a finalist in last year’s Irish Breeders Classic and the five-year-old championship in Dublin, and was purchased by Moloney and TSI Equestrian in April of this year.

Moloney commented: “Temple Alice is very careful and very consistent. He was third the first day and if we do Lanaken it would probably do him for this year.”

Gerard Clarke, the penultimate rider in the clocked round, almost made it within striking distance of Moloney’s time with King Lupin but had to settle for the runner-up position. Only fractionally off the pace in 40.72, Clarke was the only other double clear of the class.

SHOWN GOOD FORM

Patrick and Clare Sutton’s Lux Z-sired gelding had shown good form earlier in the week when victorious in Wednesday’s opening qualifier in the main arena.

Kenneth Graham proved fastest of the four-faulters when recording 41.43 with Pacino Amiro. The Pacino-sired gelding has been exceptionally consistent at the Dublin Horse Show over the years as the runner-up in the 2016 four-year-old championship as well as making it through as a finalist in the 2017 five-year-old championship.

Young rider Jack Ryan had played pathfinder in the jump-off with the Cardento-sired BBS McGregor but faulted at the final obstacle in a time 41.82. Ryan has already had a successful season, a member of the bronze medal winning Irish team at the Junior European Championships.

Both Olivia Roulston and Damien Griffin were put out of contention early when lowering the first fence in the jump-off. Roulston proved the faster of the two with the Valent-sired Miss Valent, completing in a time of 42.79 while Griffin came home in 43.51 with Celtic Hero B Z (Calikot Hero x Caretano Z).