THE Dublin Horse Show has long been recognised as one of the best shop windows for young show jumpers.

No-one knows that better than Greg Broderick who holds the record as winner of the four, five and six-year-old titles over one weekend. It was a decade ago, in 2014, when he set the bar on BP Castlefield, Alberta Mist and Super Chilled.

While no-one has managed to complete the treble ever since, the team at Ballypatrick Stables rarely leave the RDS empty-handed from these hugely popular finals – and often on horses bred at home outside Thurles in Co Tipperary.

Take 2023 for example, when stable rider Niamh McEvoy won the four-year-old title on the home-bred Diamant De Semilly mare BP Lady Masterpiece. Of the top six horses, three of those bore the Ballypatrick prefix, the others being BP Othello (second), and BP Lucky Clover in fifth (also a home-bred).

It was a truly impressive achievement and fitting that GBBS International were crowned leading breeders.

McEvoy and BP Tiny Dancer (Plot Blue) also came a close second in the six-year-old decider 12 months ago behind fellow Ballypatrick-based Leah Stack who jumped the only double clear on the late Noel Cawley’s home-bred mare Laurina. Incredibly the one-two result was matched the previous year in the five-year-old championship.

Laurina (Stakkato Gold), who also won silver with Stack at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Lanaken in 2023, comes from a tremendous family as a daughter (and first foal) of the Cruising mare Rincarina, a winner herself at the RDS with Broderick as a six-year-old.

Later sold to McLain Ward, Laurina is now jumping successfully on the US East Coast with Lillie Keenan.

Speciality

Breeding and producing young horses have become the speciality of Ballypatrick Stables in the past decade, and the results at Dublin speak for themselves.

ESI Star Struck, ridden by Ethen Ahearne, was owned in partnership by GBBS with the Hughes family when winning the four-year-olds in 2015, while GBBS was again part-owner (with P.J. Ryan) of the 2016 winner Abby Van Overis under Darragh Ryan.

Ryan also rode the Ronan Rothwell-owned BP First Editions to win the five-year-old championship in 2017. The daughter of Verdi (ex Ballypatrick Flight) is now jumping 1.60m with Sofia Michel of Mexico.

“Horses in Europe don’t get as good a start as those in Ireland, and everyone sees them at the RDS,” commented Galway native Brian ‘Cass’ Cassidy who oversees the young horse programme at Ballypatrick Stables having relocated back to Ireland earlier this year after a long stint in the UK.

“Several other five-star horses that have competed at the Olympics jumped at Dublin as four-year-olds. These include James Kann Cruz (the 2024 Olympic ride of Shane Sweetnam) and MHS Going Global, who represented Ireland with Greg in Rio.”

Brian Cassidy recently returned from a long stint in the UK and is now an integral member of the team at Ballypatrick Stables \ Siobhan English Photography

Also spotted at the RDS as a youngster was McEvoy’s Grand Prix ride Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick. Along with Leah Stack (21) and Harry Wood (22), 20-year-old McEvoy will team up with Max and Charlie O’Reilly Hyland under the Ballypatrick banner. Together, they have 17 horses qualified across both national and international competitions.

These include the four-year-olds BP Paloma and MHS Mix The Blues, who will be ridden by British-born Wood, and BP Wishes, winner of the qualifier at Barnadown with McEvoy in the saddle.

By Aganix Du Seigneur, the home-bred BP Wishes is another young mare boasting a fantastic pedigree. She is half-sister to both BP Lady Masterpiece and the US-based five-star jumper (and another RDS graduate) BP Wakita. All are the progeny of the Cruising mare BP Masterpiece.

Tyrone-born McEvoy has climbed the ranks rapidly since her days in ponies when she won team gold in 2019 and juniors when she won team bronze in 2022. She joined Ballypatrick Stables in 2021.

Only last month she won back-to-back team gold medals at the European Young Rider Championships in The Netherlands, this time riding the Portuguese-bred mare Jasmim Da Hermida. The win in 2023 came on board another mare, Robin Bingham’s Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick. Having been consistent throughout, her long-time partner was crowned leading young rider in the recent Plusvital Premier Series.

Ballypatrick Stables' star rider Niamh McEvoy showing off her team gold medal won at the European Young Rider Show Jumping Championships in Holland on Jasmim Da Hermida, pictured \ Siobhan English Photography

Exceptional team

McEvoy has made the cut for the five-star competitions at the RDS with both Jasmim Da Hermida and Jargon. For the seven and eight-year-old international, she is pencilled in to ride the Cornet Obolensky mare Be Kalinka, deputising for Broderick who suffered a nasty fall at Cavan in June.

Having undergone two hip replacements in 2023, the 38-year-old was making a gradual return to the saddle and was hoping to line-out next week in the seven and eight-year-old international class.

“It was a silly fall, but in the process I cracked several ribs, some in two places, and a few vertebrae,” he said.

Having finished third in 2013 with MHS Going Global, it is a competition he has yet to win, but the yard will be represented by BP Lion Man (a seven-year-old Kannan half-brother to Kilkenny), who qualified at The Meadows under Harry Wood.

Kildare-born Stack, who has been based with Broderick since 2022, equally has a strong hand here with the seven-year-old Handiarys De Titoy (Andiamo Semilly). She will also take the ride on the five-year-olds Rosconnel Tango (Tyson) and BP Vibrant (Vivant van de Heffinck).

After her win on Laurina last year, Stack acknowledged the immense support of Broderick for giving her the opportunity to compete at this level. She also fondly remembered breeder Noel Cawley, whose legacy lives on through his incredible breeding programme now continued by his daughter Lisa.

“Noel was an incredible owner and breeder,” commented Brian Cassidy. “He took the good days well, and the bad days even better. He always wanted to support the Irish horse but did introduce the better foreign bloodlines.”

Foaled in 2018, the Luidam-sired Luisa jumped double clear for Stack at The Meadows qualifier and the Cawleys will be hoping for yet another success in the six-year-old division.

Leah Stack and Luisa, pictured winning the six-year-old DAFM Studbook series at Tattersalls last month. The 2023 champions will be back in Dublin next week \ Laurence Dunne

Ballypatrick facilities

Cassidy recalls the early days when Broderick was starting out, with just a handful of stables. Much has changed since then, and the outfit is now world-class.

“It was 20 years or so ago and things were very different. He was big into hurling but his father Austin used to buy and sell a few horses and ponies. There were a mere five stables and a sand ring back then.”

As Broderick’s interest in show jumping developed, so too did the facilities. From a 70-acre farm, it has since grown to 350 acres, complete with impressive indoor and outdoor arenas, stallion turn-out paddocks and new American barn. In addition, there is also the breeding farm at Fortwilliam, home to some of the best broodmares in Europe. “We average about 70 or so horses in work most days, with on average between four and six in for breaking at a time,” Cassidy said.

“We also send young horses away to be backed, mostly to Larry Carroll and D.J. O’Sullivan. They do a great job with them.”

A good team is crucial to the business and in addition to the three stable riders, Ballypatrick prides itself in giving working pupils a good grounding. Among those currently based there is Kevin Babington’s daughter, 21-year-old Gwyneth. She has been campaigning several horses, including BP Goodfellas, a seven-year-old son of Goodwins Loyalty who gave Kevin some great days before her retirement in 2015.

Both Goodwins Loyalty and Kevin’s other former five-star ride Shorapur are both now part of the breeding programme at nearby Fortwilliam.

Breeding business

This end of the business is run by Greg Broderick’s sister Cheryl, along with a capable team of veterinary students and additional staff from Ireland and beyond. Scanning up to 40 mares a day, they are tasked with inseminating semen, mostly from their resident stallions, using their recently developed state-of-the art clinic.

Current resident stallions include Verbier De Muze, a three-year-old son of Carthago and from a family of 1.60m jumpers; the four-year-old Ulrik Van’t Merelsnest (Emerald), from the family of VDL Glasgow and Sapphire, and RDS-bound Boleybawn Alvaro, silver medallist in the five-year-old final at Lanaken in 2023. McEvoy takes up the ride again next week.

Meanwhile, some of the other star mares breeding at Fortwilliam include Arraghbeg Clover. Winner of the five-year-old title at Lanaken with Broderick in 2013, she was later sold to Russia for €400,000, but returned to Ballypatrick in recent years and has since produced several foals, including BP Lucky Clover who featured in the four-year-old final last year. A recent arrival to the breeding farm is the grey Cassandra (Caressini L) who jumped to 1.60m with American rider Paris Sellon.

Fortwilliam is presently home to well over 150 young horses, among them some 64 three-year-olds. A selection of these will be put forward for auction later this year.

The inaugural online auction in 2022 proved a huge success and the 2023 renewal even better, with the sale-topper, the eight-year-old BP Arctic Blue, fetching €1.1 million and currently jumping in the UK with Irish rider Shane Breen.

Several others sold on the night were retained to be produced at Ballypatrick Stables.

“This year will be tough in that we have some fabulous three-year-olds. Some of those are colts that could possibly be retained as stallions,” commented Brian Cassidy.

“We are always happy to chat to prospective customers, and willing to do half-shares in horses for those interested. There’s no auction like it in Ireland and we encourage people to get in touch in the lead up to it in December,” he concluded.

Ballypatrick horses to watch at the RDS

Four-year-olds

BP Paloma (Harry Wood)

BP Wishes (Niamh McEvoy)

MHS Mix The Blues (Harry Wood)

Five-year-olds

ESI Crystal (Harry Wood)

BP Vibrant (Leah Stack)

Rosconnel Tango (Leah Stack)

MHS Enable (Charlie O’Reilly Hyland)

Penelope 31 (Charlie O’Reilly Hyland)

Six-year-olds

Dalirada’s Boy (Niamh McEvoy)

Boleybawn Alvaro (Niamh McEvoy)

Luisa (Leah Stack)

Seven/eight-year-olds

Handiarys De Titoy (Leah Stack)

Be Kalinka (Niamh McEvoy)

BP Lion Man (Harry Wood)

Rock Warrior (Max O’Reilly Hyland)

Five-star

Jasmim Da Hermida (Niamh McEvoy)

Jargon (Niamh McEvoy)