TWO riders from the Model county on Irish Sport Horse geldings won the Balmoral Star of the Future championships qualifiers at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday just past and, in both instances, the same Co Carlow-based rider finished second.

Thirty combinations from around the country appeared before Alice Copithorne and her father Philip in the five-year-old qualifier, where their very narrow winner (due to his star quality score) was Cornets Blitz (83 points), who was ridden by Paddy Byrne of BGS Sport Horses. The HHS Cornet bay was bred in Co Wexford by William Stephenson out of the Power Blade mare Moon Boots, who jumped to Grade B (174 Showjumping Ireland points) and did a small bit of eventing.

“This fellow has been brought along slowly, lightly-produced, and that was his first real show,” said Byrne of his winner. “We’ll tip away with him and I’ll definitely bring him up to the final at Balmoral (May 14th to 17th). I’ll probably do some of the young eventhorse series qualifiers with him over the summer and mix it a bit with show jumping.”

Belline Equestrian’s main stable jockey Robbie Kearns finished second, also with 83 points, on another ISH son of HHS Cornet, Belline Baron Barbados. This Miguel Bravo-bred bay is out of The Echo Factor mare HHS Crystal Clear, a half-sister to the Heritage Fortunus gelding HHS Leacourt Cavalier (CCI4*-L) and dam previously of the Acorad 3 gelding HHS Oaklands/Cooley Gentleman (CCI3*-L).

Kilkenny-based Italian rider Luca Bortolamei slotted into third with Fernhill Pop Ice (82.5), a bay ISH by Kassanova Hero B Z out of DS Aphrodite (by Darragh Achilles).

Six and seven-year-olds

There were 18 starters in the six and seven-year-old qualifier, which was won by Taghmon’s Noel Dunne with Jenny Curley’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Kief Rhapsody of Belline (87 marks).

This brown son of Sligo Candy Boy, who was bred by Kieran Fahey out of his eventing/showing mare Lissangle Lux The Business (by Lux Z), was owned by Richard Ames when winning the five-year-old young event horse championship at the 2023 Dublin Horse Show. He has now amassed 47 Showjumping Ireland points and 23 Eventing Ireland points, having started eventing in April last year at EI110 level.

On his final national outing of the season, he won at Crecora 2 in mid-July. He then finished third of 32 in the CCI2*-S at Kilguilkey House and fourth of 24 in the CCIYH2*-S for six and seven-year-olds at Lisgarvan International. Dunne and Kief Rhapsody were then selected for the CCI2*-L for six-year-olds at Le Lion d’Angers where, with 16.8 cross-country time penalties, they finished 19th of 45.

“The horse had a good break after Le Lion and this was his first time back out since then,” said Dunne. “I’ll bring him to Balmoral for the final and, hopefully, we will get our MERs to go three-star. I have him entered at Tyrella 2 and will then aim him at Millstreet.”

Noel Dunne and Kief Rhapsody of Belline won the six/seven-year-old performance horse class at the Balmoral qualifiers held at Wexford Equestrian \ Justin Black Horse Sport Images

Here, Kearns filled the runner-up slot with Ames’s ISH mare Belline Thistle Bethelasttime (86), a daughter of Grafenstolz out of Karymn (by Kannan), who won that young horse class at Lisgarvan. This combination was also selected for Le Lion, but most unfortunately slipped up early across the country.

Ciara Kinsella qualified in third on Wednesday with her 2019 home-bred Dignified van’t Zorgvliet mare Tykillen Shindig (86), who finished second in the five-year-old young event horse championship at Dublin last August, having had a filly foal by Tyson in 2023.

There will be further chances to qualify for Balmoral’s Star of the Future Championships at Gransha next Saturday, March 29th, and at Lusk Equestrian on Sunday, April 6th.