IRELAND’S Comdt. Geoff Curran rode DHF Alliance (ISH) to win the three-star 1.45m Dick Turpin Stakes as international competition got underway at the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham on Friday afternoon.

From 24 starters, nine combinations managed to keep all the fences standing, with Curran and his mount the fastest, in 56.86 seconds, by a significant margin of almost three seconds from British runner-up Paul Barker on Strides Maureen (59.43), with William Whitaker (GBR) on Active Spirit completing the podium (60.80). Ireland’s Anthony Condon took sixth place on LMD Marko (63.14).

DHF Alliance is a nine-year-old mare by Ard VDL Douglas out of Rosie Bee (ISH) by Lux Z. She was bred by Paul Douglas in Co Tyrone and is owned by Minister for Defence and Jessica Stallard.

Following his success, Curran said: “She won it very well. She’s naturally a very fast mare and once I do my job correctly and keep it nice and smooth, she’s faster than most - she’s a good horse.

“I had that much confidence in her - I never had to kick her, that’s just the way she likes to go. Normally, when I interfere with the way she likes to go, she doesn’t like it, so when I let her go at her own pace, she’s very comfortable. She wins a lot for us, but she’s relatively green still, indoors, and I’m chuffed with that. There’s a good atmosphere out there and we’ll go again tomorrow and hope for more of the same.”

Curran and DHF Alliance followed up with a fourth place finish in Saturday’s 1.60m Accumulator class, stopping the clock in a time of 42.59. The win went to British rider Jodie Hall McAteer riding Kimosa van het Kritrahof in 41.31. Ireland’s Shane Breen and Just Special came sixth in 47.58.

The 1.60m NAEC Stoneleigh Cup class saw Curran place sixth with another Irish Sport Horse, Tempo Manor, when they clocked a fast time of 32.46, but had a pole down. The win went to Mark Edwards (GBR) on Dillinger NE, who were clear in 32.74.

Saturday night’s Puissance class saw Curran and the 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion Bishops Quarter (OBOS Quality 004 x Ballydunne Beauty (ISH) x Cavalier Royale), bred by Gerard Murphy, Co Kilkenny and owned by Minister for Defence, bid for a hat-trick of HOYS Puissance wins, but it wasn’t to be when incurring four faults in the fourth round.

They shared third place with Britain’s Rachel Proudley on Easy Boy De Laubry Z.

Victory went to Joseph Trunkfield (GBR) on Locomotion, the only pair to clear the wall in round five. Paul Sims (GBR) on Kingfisher were runners up after collecting four faults in the fifth round.