MAKING it three from four for Ballypatrick Stables in the young horse championships at the 2023 Dublin Horse Show, Kevin Gallagher followed suit from his teammates to win the LHK Insurance International seven and eight-year-old final in the main ring on Sunday morning aboard GBBS Ltd and Gary and Leslie Hazelwood’s Thor Ter Wilgen Z.

Gallagher spoke to The Irish Field after the win. “He was bought from the breeder in Belgium at the start of last year and we’ve just slowly produced him,” he said. “He was very green when we bought him, he’d only done a couple of shows. We brought him to Spain at the back end of last year and they were his first six-year-old classes, then he went again in the New Year and that kind of got him back up to where he should be at his age level.

“I jumped him at the first RDS qualifier in Barnadown back in May and he was double clear. He is very straightforward. He is very big and scopey. He’s careful and naturally very quick which makes life a bit easier.

“His next show will be Lanaken for the Young Horse World Championships and then he’ll probably go back to Spain in October for the Sunshine Tour. We think an awful lot of him. I’ve never been more certain that a horse will jump five-star. He jumped unbelievable in the final (in Dublin). He really is incredible.”

Gallagher added: “We always thought that he was naturally a bit slow, it was always in the back of our minds. Then we brought him to the Premier show in Balmoral and that was where he jumped his first National Grand Prix. He was clear in the first round, it was a really fast class and Greg said ‘have a go and see what he’s made of a little bit’ and he ended up third, but it was a ridiculously fast class so it was a bit of an eye-opener for us.

“Then he jumped in the 1.50m Premier on the Sunday and he was clear and he’s only seven-years-old. I have a very good feeling about him. The old saying applies here I think ‘if he doesn’t make it the rest of them don’t have much of a chance’. He’ll do the Breeders’ Classic next week but only for a bit of training, Lanaken will be the next big one for him.

“He is owned by GBBS in partnership with Gary and Leslie Hazelwood. They owned the horse I won the Breeders’ Classic five and six-year-olds on in 2021 (CBS Khantastic), they are really excited about him so I was delighted that we were able to win this for them and get to go to Lanaken, he deserves it.”

International field

A total of 21 combinations; eight seven-year-olds and 13 eight-year-olds lined out for the final. Of these, six of the younger group and just four of the older posted a clear round to progress to the decider.

Susan Fitzpatrick, riding her mother Sharon’s German-bred Gallardo Z (George Z x Canturano Z), was first to go. They once again left all the fences up and stopped the clock at 38.78 for eventual fifth place.

Gallagher was next. He and Thor Ter Wilgen Z managed to slice over six seconds off the leading time in 32.50 to set the target time.

Gemma Phelan and Baden Powell’s home-bred Curraghgraigue Jack Bro (Orestus x Errigal Flight) had a sticky start but left all the fences up in 34.56 for third place.

Belgian rider Gundrun Patteet and Sea Coast Queen B Van’t Paradijs (Elvis Ter Putte x Bamako de Muze) had a faster time in 31.34 but with one fence down had to settle for sixth place as the fastest four falters. Francis Derwin and Carol Gee’s Dutch-bred Leonardo (I’m Special de Muze x Voltaire Pref) came closest to catching Gallagher when they broke the beams at 33.04 for the runner-up spot.

Fitzpatrick and her second mount, her own German-bred Keatingstown Mister Cool had the second fence down in 38.62.

Max Wachmann was first to go over in the eight-year-old division.

Riding Coolmore Showjumping’s French-bred stallion Fancy De Kergane, he had the second fence down in 37.98 for ninth place.

Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat with Daniel Etter and Luc Henry’s stallion Picobello Van’t Roosakker (Kassander Van ‘T Roosakker x Canabis Z) had the second last fence down in 33.33 for eighth place.

Holland’s Loewie Joppen riding another stallion Pallieter VD N Ranch produced a double clear round in 36.88 which would see him into fourth place.

Last to go for Switzerland, Edouard Schmitz and the Dutch-bred Karel Doorman (Dakar VDL x Hickstead) had the final fence down in 33.05 for seventh.