A FORMER Dublin winner claimed the first class of the 2016 Horse of the Year Show on Thursday.

Kim Colosso’s Chantilly Bojangles triumphed in the Irish Horse Gateway-sponsored small hunter class for his producer Robert Walker.

Chantilly Bojangles was the 2015 champion small hunter at the Dublin Horse Show for Paul O’Shaughnessy and Lynn Turley and was second in 2016. Bred by Paul O’Byrne in Co Kilkenny, the five-year-old by Kroongraaf (KWPN) out of Upppercourt Posh, by OBOS Quality 004 (OLD), and new rider Walker were cheered on at the HOYS ringside by previous owner/rider O’Shaughnessy.

The traditionally-bred Ballycreen Rainbow Magic also stood top of a stellar line up at HOYS on Thursday, when he won the Cuddy Supreme In Hand Horse Championship for Martin Wood. The three-year-old gelding by Kings Master was bred by David Cosby in Laois out of his Orbis thoroughbred mare Ballycreen Susianna. He was led by Simon Charlesworth at HOYS.

The Cuddy Working Hunter Championship was won by Fiona Hirst’s Dartans Barrack, a Guidam nine-year-old originally brought out by Louise Lyons and bred by Eileen Nugent in Co Laois out of a Cruising mare.

Second place in the Cuddy Working Hunter Championship went to another Irish Sport Horse, Katy Green’s seven-year-old mare Vulcanite with Rory Gilsenan in the saddle. Bred by Kate Jarvey in Co Cork, the mare is by Jumbo out of a Kings Master dam.

The Connemara pony CashelBay JJ won the mountain and moorland working hunter pony (over 143cms) of the year, ridden by Lucy Eddis and cheered on by breeders Barbara and Robbie Fallon.

A full round-up of Irish winners in the showing and jumping arenas at HOYS will be carried in The Irish Field next week.