THE RDS amateur qualifiers have become more competitive year on year, so much so that many riders who delivered triple clears in the qualifiers were not guaranteed a place at Dublin. Here is a look at how the qualifiers went and what to expect at Dublin Horse Show next week.

The opening round kicked off at Galway Equestrian in the first week of May and over 200 lined out. Following a very tough competition, it was A rider Jacqui Boland from Co Meath and Maverick Na Ri who took the win. Boland has produced the 13-year-old gelding through the ranks. This year she got off to an early start and have been consistently placed at 1.10m level. Runner-up in the championship last year, AA rider Adrian Gilmartin had his eye on the ball as he filled second with Carnival Cocktail. Another very competitive rider, Aileen McDermott (AA) and Amber Balou booked their place when slotting into third. A previous winner at Dublin, AA rider Paul Carroll will get another shot at the title having secured fifth place with Kabran De Reve Z. This is a new mount for Carroll as the eight-year-old gelding is also campaigned by Louise Carroll.

At Portmore, 160 entries battled it out for the eight places on offer on the day with just 24 riders going forward to contest the third round. Taking the win was Alexandra Bailey riding Callie LVS Z. Bailey bought the horse from Lissava Stud as a three-year-old. The mare is a full-sister to LVS Wizard, campaigned by Greg Broderick at international level. Accounting for third place here was Katie Frazer riding Keylogues Clover Lady. Frazer is a seasoned competitor in the RDS, having secured her place in the final in 2017. Marie Hartley and Scarthill Vendi took fourth. This combination is no stranger to this pressure, having last year finished fourth in the championship.

The penultimate round of the Amateur RDS qualifiers at Ballinamona came down to the wire with the top eight riders coming home within the 35 seconds allowed. Gillian Blanche on Bellgrove Prima Donna took the win. They claimed the runner-up place at Dublin in 2015 and were third last year. Ruairi Holmes and Figaro took second place, only fractions behind the winner. This combination claimed second place at the Botanica Amateur Championship in Balmoral. Sharon McConnell will make her return to the RDS having booked her place with ESI Global Impact when she took seventh.

In the final round at Tubberbride, AA rider Lorna Power and Burrin Equestrian Rafiki led the victory lap. Power, from Waterford, has clocked up a series of good results in the amateur ranks over the last few months. AA Michael Floody was hot on Power’s heels aboard Pikachus Son for second. Floody will be making a welcome return to the RDS having qualified in 2015.

Slotting into eighth were Amy Walsh and Keylogues Gold. Walsh had been unlucky at Ballinamona having recorded four faults in the final round. They also made it to the third round in Galway but finished on eight faults. The combination won’t be two fazed by the RDS, having qualified in 2017.