Bradbury looks on

ONE notable absentee from the hunter classes this year was multiple winning rider Jane Bradbury. “I first rode in Dublin in 1986 and have ridden there almost every year since. It’s probably my first year to not have a horse for the hunters, but hopefully we’ll be back next year,” she said.

On Saturday morning, Jane sat in the (soon-to-be refurbished) Anglesea Stand to see her fellow show hunter producers battle it out, and cheer on Jamie Smyth and Tattygare Me Me Me taking the supreme hunter title.

Karlswood grooms’ competition winners

MCLAIN Ward’s groom Virginie Casterman was chosen as the winner of the Karlswood International Grooms’ Award last week in Dublin. The €10,000 prize was set up and sponsored by Cian O’Connor’s Karlswood Stables and judged by Jimmy Doyle and Marie Yorke.

Casterman took home the top prize of €5,000, while Janika Sprunger’s groom Charlotte Verger was second and collected €3,000. In third place was Irish groom Shauna Murray, who looks after Darragh Kenny’s horses. She picked up €2,000.

McLain Ward, Lucy Davis, Aaron Vale and Spender Smith take a selfie with Lilly Ward, daughter of McLain, after winning the Aga Khan trophy \ Susan Finnerty

O’Connor’s 150th cap

IRELAND’s Cian O’Connor received a commemorative, custom-made KEP Italia helmet from Horse Sport Ireland at the Dublin Horse Show to mark reaching (and surpassing) his 150th team appearance.

O’Connor’s Aga Khan Trophy appearance last Friday was his 152nd in the green jacket, and his 18th for the famous Nations Cup trophy. He made his senior Irish debut in 1999 in Greece and it was a winning one. Since then, he has competed on 28 other winning Nations Cup teams, with the most recent being Ireland’s success in Aachen, Germany, last month.