THE second opportunity to qualify for the national horse show jumping classes at the 2024 Dublin Horse Show took place in Barnadown, Co Wexford, on Wednesday.

There was an early start for the 94 combinations who were fighting it out for the nine places available in the seven and eight-year-old class over the 1.40m track, with the action getting underway at 7.45am.

Last year’s five-year-old championship-winning rider Leah Stack came out on top. She guided GBBS Int Ltd’s seven-year-old gelding Luigi, by Luidam out of Simplify (OBOS Quality) and bred by Micheal Condon, to the win. From 32 clears in the first round, there were 16 clear again against the clock and Stack won in a time of 37.45.

England-based Jessica Burke made the trip back to Ireland for one day only and took the runner-up spot aboard her own French-bred gelding, Good Star du Bary, by Rock n Roll de Semilly. They stopped the clock at 37.61 and were straight back on the road to Bolesworth International, where Jessica is competing in the international classes this week.

Junior rider James Brennan guided his mother Sinead’s MHS Everything (Quidam Junior I x Cavalier Royale), bred by the late Ita Brennan, to capture third place in 37.79. Kian Dore and Carl Dore’s French-bred gelding Helssinki (Calvaro Z x Windows VH Costersveld) were fourth in 37.93.

Leah Stack was good enough to claim a second qualifying spot, when she and Twin Flame Horses’ mare Handiarys De Titoy (Andiamo Semilly x Von Chacco Ixe) secured the fifth place.

Sixth went to Brendan Murphy riding Michelle Kenny’s Mika (Insider VDL x Lyjanero), while seventh was Darragh Ryan and his own Belgian-bred mare Lady Blue Du Pont Letot (Chacoon Blue x Qoby De Saint Aubert).

It was a good day for Ballypatrick Stables, when Greg Broderick made it three in the class for the yard, when riding his own Be Kalinka (Cornet Obolensky x Contact Me), bred by Breen Equestrian, to finish in eighth. The final qualifying place on offer went to Emma O’Dwyer and her own Cornetto Denfer (Cornet Obolensky x Litsam).

Six-year-olds

The six-year-old qualifier offered 12 tickets to the RDS for the 86 combinations, which started on Wednesday afternoon.

It was Michelle Kenny’s Belgian-bred gelding Milla Van De Kapel (Mithras De Roger x Franco), with Brendan Murphy in the saddle, who took the top honours, breaking the finish beams in a time of 35.34, one of just nine clears in the second round.

It was a joyous day for Kenny, who was badly injured in a fall at the beginning of the year and had produced the horse since he was a three-year-old before Murphy stepped in, in her absence.

Brendan Murphy and Milla Van De Kapel, winner of the six-year-old RDS qualifier at Barnadown \ Jane Emilly Potter jumpinaction.net

KM Sporthorses’ Ballinaguilkey Special Star (Big Star x Ramiro B), bred by John and Barbara Walsh and ridden by Jason Foley, secured second place in 37.18.

Langara Ventures’ One Day Maybe (Bentley Van De Heffinck x Kannan), bred by Patrick Hogan and ridden by Kian Dore, took third in 37.26. Fourth went to Max Foley aboard Bravo Hughes’ home-bred HHS Arezzo (Luidam x Cavalier Royal) in 37.34.

Aoife McCabe rode her own KMS Ali (Tyson x Heartbreaker), bred by Ivor Broderick, into fifth in 38.46, while also representing the west, Shane Goggins and Gerard Lynch’s home-bred LPF Dream of Hope (Asti Spumante x Duca Di Busted) finished in sixth.

Mikey Pender and his own flashy home-bred stallion Madgeslane Luidam (Luidam x OBOS Quality) were seventh, while Niamh McEvoy ensured GBBS Ltd was represented, when she rode Daliradas Boy (Cornets Prinz x Diarado), bred by Newberry E Wilson, into eighth.

Cavan’s Camryn Clarke partnered Jordan Coyle’s Royal Du Rouet (Big Dan Du Rouet x Coonans Concorde Flight), who was bred by Helen Sheridan, into ninth place.

Tenth went to Daren Hopkins and Aiden McGrory’s Leestone Stockholm (Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Heartbreaker), bred by John McKibbin.

Marguerite Ryan’s home-bred Kilnamac Cody (Diamant De Semilly x Cruising), with Jack Ryan in the tack, finished 11th, while the final qualifying place went to Brian McConville’s home-bred BWE Windsor (Casallco x Darco) and Shane O’Reilly.

Five-year-olds

A large field of 117 combinations lined out for a tilt at the 12 places on offer in the five-year-old division. Course designer John Doyle set them a challenging track. Those who managed a first round clear then progressed into the first jump-off round. A clear round in the first jump-off then meant you could progress to the second, deciding timed round.

A total of 41 of the starters produced a first-round clear to progress to the first jump-off. Just 18 of them managed to leave all the fences intact to earn a place in the deciding third round.

Eoin Brennan proved best of these, guiding his family’s home-bred mare GCS Angelina (Aganix du Seigneur x Vigo D’Arsouilles) to first place in 35.52.

Katheryne McCracken’s Mallbeck (Air Jordan Z x Kashmir Van Schuttershof), bred by Brian Clinghan, was ridden into second place by Shane Treanor in 35.97. Harry Wood rode the Ennisnag Stud-bred ESI Crystal (Ganesh Hero Z x Arabella) into third place in 36.20 for owners Milestone Farm, Carlos Pintos and Brian Cassidy.

Susan Fitzpatrick and her own Belgian-bred Touchable (Untouchable 27 x Calvaro Z) were fourth, while Coen Williams rode Gordon Hogan’s Mac Liofa Grand Slam (Grand Slam x Cascadello), bred by Patrick McCormick, into fifth.

Junior Cian Byrne and Gerald Kilbride’s Micheal Kenny-bred Larina Cruise (Loch Cruise x Tabasco Van Erpekom) took sixth. Shane Goggins got another one through when he rode Anne Marie O’Gorman’s home-bred Cutting Edge Too (Urano Du Cartigny x Carthago Z) into seventh place.

Laura McHugh’s home-bred gelding He Is Ace (Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Shannon Dale Y2K) took eighth, ahead of the French-bred stallion Jad’or Du Lavoir (Diamant De Semilly x Canturo), owned and ridden by Susan Fitzpatrick, in ninth. Jason Higgins and his own Ogue MBF (Eldorado Van De Zeshoek x Aldato), bred by Anne Marie Murphy, took 10th.

The final two qualifying spots went to Tadhg McKiernan riding Gabriel Slattery Jnr’s home-bred Castlelawn Dan (Castlelawn Captain Junior x Kannan) and Abigail Boland and her mother Mary’s Dutch-bred mare Orange de Baugy (Dominator Z x Barbarian).

Four-year-olds

Some 97 horses went forward to battle it out for the eight places on offer in the four-year-old class at Dublin. All the clears (66) from the first round went through to a second round, where German judges Marc Hahne from the Hannoveraner Verband and Philipp Baumgart, had to award points from a possible 100 to decide the lucky few.

BP Best Wishes, ridden by Niamh McEvoy and owned and bred by Greg Broderick, whose stable has a good record in the class, emerged as the eventual winner, scoring a mark of 83.75. She is by Aganix Du Seigneur out of BP Masterpiece (Cruising).

Ciaran Howley’s Sligo Celtic Candy (Sligo Candy Boy x Harlequin Du Carel), bred by Padraig Howley and ridden by Lee Carey, took the runner-up spot on a score of 80.75. Another stable known for producing horses for this class, Shane Quinn guided the Dutch-bred Piamante (Komme Casall TN x Verdi) into third on a score of 80.5 for owner Cathy Cuffe.

Miriam Queally’s PLS Monkeal Callie (Echonix x Pacino), bred by Clive Cathers and ridden by Orla Queally, were awarded 79.25 for fourth place.

Kennedy Brothers Sporthorses-owned and bred KBS Silence The Hill (Vivant van de Heffinck x OBOS Quality) was ridden by Christian Kennedy to also score 79.25 for fifth place.

Sixth went to Stephen Gibbons and his mother Jane’s Rathfredagh Ash (Timone x Derg Cruise), bred by Robert Hartigan, on 79 points, while seventh was Conor Fitzpatrick aboard Carl Dore’s Iron Mike (Tyson x Ramon), bred by Martin Hynes, on 77.

The eighth and final qualifying place went to Tom Hearne riding Penny Brooks Drummiller Dazzler (Cicero Z Van Paemel x Connor 48) with a score of 76.5.

The next, and final chance to qualify a horse for the Dublin Horse Show takes place on Wednesday, June 26th, in Mullingar.