HAVING Dublin Horse Show or All-Ireland qualifiers at a show can boost entry numbers and that was certainly the case at the Flavours of Fingal show last Saturday, when there were large entries in the three Dublin qualifiers. If riders didn’t bag an RDS ticket at Newbridge House, the more determined headed off to Ballyfoyle or Charleville on Sunday.

Happily for connections of Bobby Cool, the edge was taken off the Alhebayeb gelding in the earlier riding horse class, where he finished sixth, and he topped the final line-up of Britain’s Kathy Bowdler (conformation) and Co Down’s Rachel Moore (ride) in the Dublin racehorse to riding horse qualifier on his first attempt to do so this season. In both classes on Saturday, Bobby Cool was ridden by Miia Ruuskanen.

Ruuskanan, who had her initial experience of riding in a showing class at last year’s Association of Riding Clubs’ Festival in Mullingar, is in two minds about competing at Dublin. “In one way, I am looking forward to it but, in another way, I’m terrified!” said the Finnish native. “Either way, it’s a once in a lifetime experience. Bobby can be a bit cheeky at times, but he got all that out of his system in the riding horse class and was on best behaviour in the racehorse class.”

Ruuskanan moved to Ireland in 2020 and works for fellow Finn Liisa Rantamaki, owner/breeder of Bobby Cool and in whose colours the now eight-year-old ran six times on the flat and once over hurdles when in the care of Co Meath trainer, Andrew McNamara. Bobby was retired from racing after pulling up in a three-year-old hurdle at Gowran on October 5th, 2019. He is out of the dual flat winner Headford Lady (by Bold Fact).

While Miia rides the gelding in showing classes, Liisa is his usual partner when it comes to dressage and both women were on the Tara Hill Green Goddesses team, who won the AIRC Midlands Region team dressage qualifier on Sunday at Emerald Equestrian, where Miia rode Happy Gilmore. In their RCP3 class on Sunday, Liisa and Bobby scored 69.81%.