NICOLA Perrin’s excellent record in the Connolly’s Red Mills Champion of Champions Series Final continued last Sunday at the Wicklow Summer Show in Barnadown, where she won the hunter championship, and the four-year-old title, with the Irish Sport Horse gelding, Solsboro Zeus.

The Rathangan producer purchased the son of Dignified van’t Zorgvliet unbroken last September and, while he wasn’t ready to be shown at Balmoral in May, the bay was having his fifth start on Sunday. He has won his four-year-old class on each outing and qualified for these finals when champion four-year-old and champion ridden hunter at Raheendaw in early June.

Solsboro Zeus was bred in Co Wexford by Simon McCarthy, out of the Cavalier Royale mare Cavalier Cushinstown Cruis. His next appearance will be in the middleweight hunter class at next weekend’s Tattersalls Ireland July Show, before he is aimed at the four-year-old middleweight class at Dublin. Sunday’s reserve champion hunter was Deirdre Burchill’s Ballard Bridgeboy, a five-year-old Condios gelding, who qualified at Charleville.

Connolly’s Red Mills launched this year’s series with Nicola and the feed company’s Head of Equine Marketing, Jane Davis, shared the following information regarding the Co Kildare horsewoman: “In 2019, Nicola secured the coveted Red Mills hunter champion of champions title with John Stafford’s beloved Major Malone.

“Her triumphs extend to the Red Mills riding horse champion of champions category, with victories in 2021 aboard Claire McDonnell’s For Love and in 2023 with her own home-bred, Ballarin Rosebud. Notably, Ballarin Rosebud participated in last year’s final while in foal and has since welcomed a beautiful foal by Radolin, highlighting Nicola’s dedication to both breeding and producing young horses.”

Fantastic

Commenting on this year’s series and final, Davis said: “We had a fantastic day at the Wicklow Summer Show for the Connolly’s Red Mills Champion of Champions Final. A huge thank you to the Showing Ireland team and all who supported the day, having qualified at shows all over the country.

“The Champion Of Champions was originally launched in 2018 to promote and encourage participation in showing and to shine a light on the discipline. I grew up showing, watching all the greats, and I’ve found myself in a privileged position to work for a company, who recognised the opportunity to get behind and back a great initiative.

“Huge congratulations to all the winners and competitors,” continued Davis. “It was a joy to watch three quality classes take to the incredible grass ring at Barnadown to showcase the best of showing.”

On behalf of Showing Ireland, chairman Angus McDonnell said: “Showing Ireland would like to thank Connelly’s Red Mills for sponsoring the Champion of Champions series and for their cooperation in promoting it. Sunday’s final saw horse and rider combinations, who had qualified from 10 fantastic countrywide shows. Showing Ireland’s aim has always been to support the ridden show horse, so it was a privilege to be part of the 2024 campaign and the final spectacle at the Wicklow Summer Show.”

The Champion of Champions finals were judged by Britain’s Becky Crosbie Starling (ride) and Garryrichard Stud’s Denis Hickey (conformation) and, as Davis rode in one of Sunday’s finals, the presentations on behalf of Connolly’s Red Mills were made by one of the firm’s nutritionists, Nicole Groyer.

Penny Hudson and Hudsons Mermus, ridden horse champion of champions at the Wicklow Hunt Show \ Louise O'Brien Photography

Riding Horse

Following the riding horse final, Groyer presented the championship sash and prizes to Penny Kelly Hudson, who was on board her mother Tara Hudson’s 158cm skewbald ISH mare Hudson Mermus, another horse who qualified at Raheendaw. This five-year-old by Mermus R, who was bred in Co Down by Thomas Moore, is out of Slievecroob Littleblack, a piebald daughter of Cult Hero.

Jennifer Kennedy stood reserve with her well-known lightweight cob Moneycross, a seven-year-old grey gelding by WRS Elvis, who qualified at the Flavours of Fingal Show.

A third Raheendaw qualifier to claim a title (amateur ridden) on Sunday was the ISH mare Assagart Divine. This Kings Master seven-year-old, who was ridden by north Co Dublin’s Tara Murphy for her mother Susan Fanning, was bred in Co Wexford by John Roche out of Travelling Solo, by The Traveller. Better known as an owner with the Brian Murphy yard, Amanda Benson had a couple of rides at Barnadown on Sunday and here was reserve amateur champion on her Irish Draught gelding Ballingeary Buser, an 11-year-old by Luke Skywalker.