NORTHERN-based show horse producer Lesley Jones (Webb) had just about enough time to re-pack her bags after Dublin before heading across the Irish Sea to judge at the SHBGB Championship Show this past week.

A regular visitor and winner at the RDS, Jones had several horses for clients, including some for Samuel McAteer, for whom she regularly rides at Dublin. This time she was on board McAteer’s five-year-old newcomer Randalstown Rigsby to first win the heavyweights before securing the cob championship. The victory handed McAteer his seventh Cob Championship title at Dublin - an extraordinary achievement for the Randalstown man.

Second in the heavyweights was Susan Tennant’s Hollyrock Cooper Jack from the Gowran yard of Brian Murphy, who was later delighted when stablemate Goodnight Master was crowned reserve champion.

Murphy had no fewer than seven horses at the show, including the five-year-old Goodnight Master for UK-based Amanda Benson. Murphy rode him to win his lightweight cob class ahead of Jennifer Kennedy on her own six-year-old Moneycross, by WRS Elvis.

With three in for the championship, Murphy was happy to hand over the ride of Goodnight Master to his girlfriend Aimee Stunt.

For the final judging Claire Gilna got the catch ride on Hollyrock Cooper Jack and Murphy was on board his long-time partner Peaky Blinders. Earlier he had won yet another maxi cob class, this time ahead of Anna Mai Stafford on Dennistown Steely Grey, a four-year-old by the family-owned Irish Draught Dennistown Prince of Pride.

Although not retaining the championship this year, the 11-year-old Peaky Blinders (by Rockrimmon Silver Diamond) has a tremendous record at the RDS for his owners Pat Loughlin and Pat’s sister Pearl, with no fewer than three championships to his credit, including that won in 2022.

Loughin and O’Rourke was the same partnership that owned the 2016 supreme hunter champion Fort Knox.

Both Peaky Blinders and Hollyrock Cooper Jack were sourced from Galway-based Jack Connors.

The champion Randalstown Rigsby impressively only started his showing career earlier this year and had been beautifully prepared for Dublin by Gwen Scott.

“He has done very little really but showed himself off really well on the day,” Jones said of the dun who hunted a bit over the winter in Antrim.

Jones herself is also a keen hunting woman and is joint-master of the North Down Hunt.