RATHANGAN’s Nicola Perrin went into Sunday’s finals of the Connolly’s Red Mills champion of champions series at Barnadown with two titles to her credit as rider/producer, that of champion hunter in 2019 with John Stafford’s Major Malone and that of champion ridden horse in 2021 with Claire McDonnell’s For Love.

She added to that tally on Sunday with a second ridden horse title but, on this occasion, could take extra pleasure from the win as she also owns and bred Ballarin Rose Bud who qualified twice for the finals, at Raheendaw in early June and at the Flavours of Fingal County Show in Newbridge House at the start of this month. Prior to those outings, Perrin and Ballarin Rose Bud claimed the riding horse championship at Balmoral.

There is little to add to the information we published earlier about the traditionally-bred bay who wasn’t shown in 2022. A half-sister to two Horse of the Year Show finalists, the Ballysax Hero five-year is out of Seefin Rosewood who died last autumn. Perrin and partner Rob Jeffares have, for the moment, retained this champion and two other fillies out of that Nash Me mare. Ballarin Rose Bud is in foal herself to Radolin.

“The Dublin Horse Show will be her last competitive outing for a while after that,” said Perrin following her win at Newbridge House. “I’m going to enter her in the riding horse class and the stinted mare class at Dublin but she will be on the market; there has been a lot of interest in her.” There may have been a change of heart in the Co Kildare camp following this Barnadown championship success, as Perrin stated, “We are delighted and excited for the future with her as a broodmare to keep the line going.”

Brian Murphy placed second/reserve with Pat Loughlin’s well-known maxi cob GHH Peaky Blinder who qualified for the finals when champion ridden horse at Ballyfoyle towards the end of June. This 11-year-old Irish Draught gelding by Rockrimmon Silver Diamond, who was reserve champion cob at Balmoral in May and regained the title at Dublin last season, was bred in Co Mayo by Sandra Cleary Noone and Peter Noone out of the Mountain Diamond mare Larigan Coolderry Diamond.