THE 2024 Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland championship final was held last Sunday at Hollypark Stables, day two of the Irish Pony Society summer championship show.

Sponsored once again by Takashi Kodama, who trains out of the Old Mews Stables, Kildare, and the Aisling-Japan Stud, the final attracted an entry of 12 from qualifiers all around the country. On Sunday, eight horses, including the Dublin champion Mickah Wallace, appeared before judges Louise Halford and Michael Harty, who watched them show their paces on both reins under their regular partners before they both rode all eight themselves.

Called forward to be presented with the champion’s sash was Heather McKenzie on Brain Power, a combination competing at their third show. The bay gelding pulled up on his last start, in the prestigious hunters’ chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March. McKenzie got him in May and started riding him the following month. They made their showing debut at Clonmel before qualifying at Dungarvan.

“I’d heard there was a nice horse in the north looking for a good home, spoke to Brain Power’s trainer Warren Ewing on the phone and then a friend and I went up to collect him without seeing him!” revealed McKenzie who, based outside Fethard, is sales manager for Ireland for Plusvital. “I keep him with Evanna McCutcheon, who is really helpful and he is settling in well to his new career, which includes babysitting some of the young horses.

“He is a real gentleman, who just wants to please.

"I will probably do some dressage with him over the winter and then hit the showing scene again next year. My aim is to qualify for the Dublin Horse Show next August,” concluded the delighted owner/rider.

A 13-year-old gelding by Kalanisi, Brain Power was bred in north Co Dublin by Dave Harvey out of the Old Vic mare Blonde Ambition. Having won a bumper first time out at Newcastle for north of Ireland trainer James Jenkins, the bay joined the Nicky Henderson yard from where he won six hurdle races, including Graded events in Britain and the USA, and a chase. After moving to Ewing, Brain Power won four point-to-point opens.

Aloneamongmillions was ridden by Tony Ennis to the reserve championship in the Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland championship final at Hollypark Stables last weekend \ Blue Raven Photography

The 2024 reserve champion Aloneamongmillions was ridden by Tony Ennis for Tessa Foreman, in whose colours the 2013 Mahler gelding ran when trained by Sam Curling. The bay won two hunter chases in six starts on the track and was successful in half of his 12 runs in point-to-points. On the track or between the flags, he finished unplaced just twice in 18 starts. Aloneamongmillions last ran in April 2023.

The judges were unable to separate two horses for third. They were the Vinny Phelan-owned and ridden Askforbigmoney, an eight-year-old Ask gelding, who was reserve champion at Dublin (where he moved up from sixth in the original line-up), and the Molly Byrne-owned and ridden Departures. The latter, a nine-year-old Fast Company mare, ran unplaced in five starts on the flat between November 2017 and June 2018, when owned and trained by the championship sponsor, Takashi Kodama.

“We are extremely grateful to the Irish Pony Society for opening the show to accommodate our championship final and also to the competitors for their support of our class,” said Julie Morris, the driving force behind Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland.