THE two riders who were to stand first and second in last Saturday’s supreme hunter championship in the Main Arena filled the same positions, but in reverse order, in the Thorntons Recycling small hunter championship in Ring 1 last Wednesday week.

Rathangan’s Nicola Perrin had the perfect start to the 2024 Dublin Horse Show, when she claimed this title on the four and five-year-old class winner, Ballarin Equine’s Stoneman Team Spirit. The combination’s successes earlier in the season included victory in a very competitive small hunter class at the Tattersalls Ireland July Show.

A 2020 dark bay gelding by Dunsandle Diamond, Stoneman Team Spirit was bred in Co Cavan by Kate Carton and is a half-sister to the former Grade A 148cm mare Stoneman Lacey (by Doolin Star). The pair’s dam, Stoneman Auto Da Fe, has no recorded sire, but is out of the thoroughbred mare Mrs Bossy Boots (by Mystiko), who won over hurdles and comes from the family of the blacktype performers Mysilv and Missed Blessings.

Jamie Smyth finished second in the younger horse class, and stood reserve in the championship, on Debbie Harrod’s Highview Overado, who had entered Ring 1 as the reigning champion. The dark grey five-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Cavalier Land, who was bred in Co Wexford by Seamus Leacy junior, is the only produce registered on CapallOir out of Redinagh Black Jack (by Jack Of Diamonds).

Alice Copithorne placed third on Jeremiah Dulohery’s home-bred Traditional ISH gelding Duhallow Duke, a WRS Sun Shine five-year-old out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare from the family of Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner Celtic Shot. The highest-placed four-year-old in fourth was Grace Maxwell Murphy’s Cassanada Sweet Leitrim, a grey gelding by Cappa Cassanova.

Jodie Moran landed the six-year-old and upwards class on Oorla Cusack’s 13-year-old black gelding Tiger Eye, who also won at Balmoral in May, while Lucy Lennon finished second on her mother Bianca’s ISH gelding Mill Races Diamond. This 16-year-old bay son of Classic Vision and Tiger Eye also clashed in Sunday’s Intermediate show hunter pony class, where Tiger Eye fared the better in third.