JAMIE Smyth’s excellent 2024 showing season continued last weekend, when he won the hunter championship at the Flavours of Fingal show on Saturday with Highview Tallorder and the equivalent title at Knockagh View on Sunday with Highview Automatic.

At Newbridge House and Farm, Smyth first won the small hunter class on Debbie Harrod’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Highview Tallorder, a seven-year-old Sligo Candy Boy chesnut, who was bred in Co Roscommon by the estate of the late John Gilboy, out of the Castana mare Ardcarne Bluebell. Another regular visitor to the north Co Dublin show, Shane McKenna, finished second with the five-year-old Imnotafraid Fortuna mare Kamala m2s, with whom he was second in the small riding horse class in the RDS last August.

Smyth faced a choice of rides in the championship, as Britain’s Carl Owen (ride) and Co Kildare’s Gay Parkinson (conformation) had him top of their line-up in the middleweight class with another chesnut ISH gelding, Austenaco. This six-year-old by Orestus was bred in Co Antrim by Eileen Carlin, out of the Rimilis mare Castleside Y2K, on whom Carlin show jumped in amateur classes.

Second here was Battle’s Gent, who was ridden for Co Antrim’s Alistair McDonald by Joanne Quirke. This seven-year-old Sunset Boulevard gelding was bred in Wales by Malcolm Jones.

Joanne Quirke and Battle's Gent were crowned reserve champions at the Flavours of Fingal show \ Noel Mullins

Also going through to the championship were the first and second-placed horses from the four-year-old class, where the winner was the Nicola Perrin-ridden ISH gelding Solosboro Zeus. This Dignified van’t Zorgvliet bay was bred in Co Wexford by Simon McCarthy, out of the Cavalier Royale mare Cavalier Cushinstown Cruis. Sive Ryan finished second on Darren ‘Swifty’ Jordan’s Gortfree Hero gelding Seanchai, who has had a busy season and has qualified for the younger performance Irish Draught class at Dublin.

Heavyweight

Another busy gelding who won his heavyweight class, and his Irish Draught class, on Saturday was Chris Carter and Damien McCormack’s Cloonan Hector.

The 12-year-old Clew Bay Bouncer gelding only finished sixth in the ladies’ side saddle class here under Zorah Smyth but, undaunted, they headed down to Charleville on Sunday and claimed their qualifying ticket.

Sponsors Seamus and Mick McGrath with heavyweight class winner Cloonan Hector, ridden by Chris Carter, with judges Carl Owen and Gay Parkinson at the Flavours of Fingal show in Newbridge House \ Noel Mullins

Armagh’s Katie Crozier won the lightweight class on owner/breeder Louis McCartan’s Fort Bruce, ahead of an absolutely delighted Mairead Dolan on her ISH mare Belpherhill Aint She Sweet, a seven-year-old bay by Sinatra out of a Callanagh Gold mare.

When it came to the championship, Smyth decided to stick with his small hunter winner Highview Tallorder, giving the ride on Austenaco to Emma Greene. This proved a wise move, as Debbie Harrod’s Sligo Candy Boy gelding took the title, ahead of the middleweight second, Alistair McDonald’s Battle’s Gent.