IRISH-bred horses dominated Saturday night’s Tattersalls RoR ridden showing supreme championship at Aintree where the Jane Williams-ridden Hazel Hill claimed the title while last year’s winner, Rich Man Poor Man, stood reserve under Kirsty Douglas.

Over four days of competition in the Aintree International Equestrian Centre, nearly 300 former racehorses took part in The Jockey Club RoR National Championships which featured arena eventing, dressage, in-hand and ridden showing classes, show jumping and working hunter competitions.

Milan gelding

The finale was judged by leading show horse breeder and producer Richard Ramsay (who was on judging duty for the in-hand classes at the Dublin Horse Show earlier last month), leading working hunter producer Jo Callwood and David Catlow, managing director of Retraining of Racehorses.

Williams and Hazel Hill progressed to the supreme by earlier winning the amateur special championship while, at 15 years of age, the Milan gelding had also qualified for the veteran final. Bred in Co Cork by Paddy Moakley, the bay is the second of just two foals out of the non-winning point-to-point mare Resenting (by Presenting) who came from the family of Run And Skip.

Hazel Hill, who didn’t run until he was six, was placed in two of his four starts in point-to-point maidens for Moakley (at Kilworth and Dromahane in March 2014) after which he was sold to the Williams family. Jane rode and trained him herself to win five times between the flags before he joined Philip and Mel Rowley over the autumn of 2016.

Crowned

From Rowley Racing’s Poplar Cottage Farm in Shropshire, Hazel Hill won 14 of his 19 starts in point-to-points and hunters chases. For the most part, he was ridden by Alex Edwards who partnered him to victory in the St James’s Place Hunters’ Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival.

There, he scored by four lengths and seven lengths from Shantou Flyer, who was still racing last season, and the French-bred Top Wood who, on Saturday, was crowned the champion veteran.

Hazel Hill last ran at the end of May 2021 when he won the hunt members’ race at Chaddesley Corbett in the hands of Co Galway native, Tommie O’Brien.

Pulled up

Rich Man Poor Man, who so narrowly failed to follow up his success in the 2022 supreme championship, had a much shorter and far less successful racing career. In fact, this 10-year-old Robin Des Champs gelding pulled up in four of his five starts over hurdles in the first three months of 2017, finishing ninth of 10 on the other occasion. He was then retired.

Bred in Co Down by Gary and Stephen Kerr, Rich Man Poor Man was the only foal out of the unraced Jimble mare Mistaken Identity who was a half-sister to Magnanimity (by Winged Love) out of a half-sister to Amberleigh House. As a foal, he was consigned by Ballyash Stud to the November National Hunt Sale at Tattersalls where he was knocked down to Rathbarry Stud for €15,000. He made a grand less when sold to Phil Kirby at the 2016 Land Rover Sale in Goffs.

Kirby closely follows the second career of Rich Man Poor Man who is produced by leading Scottish show horse rider Kirsty Douglas for owner Morean Hamilton. Very much re-trained, the dark brown gelding competes beyond the confines of ex-racehorse classes and has recorded many wins as a middleweight hunter. He made his way to Saturday’s finale by first winning the open ridden show horse special championship.

In-hand horses

Among other championships staged on Saturday, the first was for in-hand horses and here the winner for the second year running was the Irish-bred Burnieboozle. Sophie Staveley’s eight-year-old Frozen Power gelding fell on his only start over hurdles and failed to win in 11 outings on the flat between early July 2017 and late November 2018 when trained by John Quinn. The bay was bred by Gerard Brady out of Tea Chest (by In The Wings).

The winner of the former racehorse challenge championship was the Claire Lewis-ridden Master Wickham, a 14-year-old Darsi gelding bred by Patrick Kinsella out of the Shernazar mare Beechberry. This bay never reached the placings in eight runs for Paul Webber.

While the recipient of the Hamilton Tarmac RoR elite performance award for dressage was the British-bred Fair Duchess (a 13-year-old non-winning pointer by Fair Mix), there were plenty of Irish-bred winners in the flat work classes. These included The Grey Dancer who, ridden by Alice Sandiford, won the RoR National Dressage Horse Championships at both Preliminary and Novice levels on the Wednesday. This seven-year-old grey gelding by Alhebayeb, who was bred by Forenaghts Stud out of Key Girl (by Key Of Luck), failed to finish in the first three in six outings on the flat for former trainer Joseph Tuite.

Two bumpers

Sam Smith won the corresponding Elementary championship the following day on board the once-raced Florinsfirth, a seven-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, bred by Liam Flavin out of the Saddlers’ Hall mare Penny’s Dream. On Friday, Angela Rowberry and The Jigger were crowned joint RoR national competition Elementary league champions. Now nine years of age, the Jeremy gelding, who was bred by Tom McLoughlin out of Teffia Gold (by Milan), ran unplaced in two bumpers in 2019 when trained by Alan King for J.P. McManus.

Among the many show jumping winners with an IRE suffix we took special note of Sustainability who landed the 1m class under Bethan Crozier. Bred at the Hickey family’s Sunnyhill Stud, this now 18-year-old gelding won four hurdle races and two chases when trained by Venetia Williams. The chesnut is by Old Vic out of Over The Glen (by Over The River).

Another to catch the eye over the coloured poles was the Jenny Bennett-partnered Clancy’s Cross, winner of the 95cm league championship on Friday and of a maiden hurdle during his racing career. Bred by Jimmy McCarthy, this 14-year-old Oscar gelding is also out of an Over The River mare, in this instance Murphys Lady, the dam of three other winners.

One of the busiest winning combinations at Aintree was Stephanie Cameron and The Cotswold Grey who finished well down the field in two bumper runs for Graeme McPherson. The 16-year-old Great Palm gelding was bred by Frank and Susan Bradley out of the Terimon mare Woodside.