KILKENNY BREEDER Marguerite Ryan is the January GAIN Equine Nutrition/The Irish Field Star of the month thanks to BBS McGregor, the 12-year-old gelding she bred and owned until recently.

This superb horse helped the United Arab Emirates team to win the four-star Nations Cup in Sharjah last month with Abdullah Mohd Al Marri in the saddle.

BBS McGregor (ISH) jumped double clear and the UAE team finished on a zero score. He is by Cardento (HOLST) out of Random Chance (ISH) by Mark Twain (TB) and was formerly ridden by Marguerite’s son, Jack Ryan.

Together, Jack and BBS McGregor enjoyed many wins from 2017 until last year and were chosen to represent Ireland in a number of Nations Cup teams over the past couple of years, including Barcelona in 2022, when the Irish team came second.

The horse was sold at the end of last year and Jack described the sale of his ‘horse of a lifetime’ as ‘bittersweet’.

This Tuesday, The GAIN Equine Nutrition/The Irish Field annual Star of the Year awards will be held at the K Club in Co Kildare, and full coverage will appear in next week’s paper, along with the nominees for the February Star of The Month.