EMOTION got the better of Lisa Comiskey when speaking about her win in the two-year-old championship at last week’s Dublin Horse Show but that was after her home-bred Watchouse High Hopes had put in a flawless performance to lift the title.

The bay, who moved up from third to win her fillies’ class, is by Financial Reward, a stallion recommended to Comiskey by her good friend Luke Drea. He had ridden Watchouse High Hopes’ dam, Dreaming Dancer (by Crosstown Dancer), in four one-day events and some 90cms registered jumping classes.

Sadly Dreaming Dancer’s career was cut short by injury but she is part of the furniture at her owner/breeder’s Camolin base as is her dam, the Billies Bank mare Break The Bank.

In her class, Watchhouse High Hopes stood ahead of Finbarr McCarthy’s Golden Lariat filly Now You See Me while, in the two-year-old championship, the reserve sash went to Dessie Gibson’s Greenhall All Business (by Greenhall) who had earlier won the medium/heavyweight geldings’ class.

The lightweight winner was the Emperor Augustus grey Bloomfield President who was shown by Michael Lyons for owner Daphne Tierney who bred him out of her top Sea Crest mare Bloomfield Rebekah.

Bloomfield President

While Watchouse High Hopes went on to be crowned champion youngstock filly (Owen Ryan cup), with Now You See Me standing reserve, she herself was reserve traditional-bred champion to Bloomfield President who, in turn, stood reserve to Carrowgar Herald in the home-bred championship for the Pembroke Cup.

Former British international event rider Jane Starkey, who regularly buys foals in Ireland, was one of the youngstock judges, as scheduled, but British bloodstock agent John Ferguson was unable to meet his engagement.

His place was filled by Newmarket-On-Fergus native but long-time Kentucky resident James Keogh who commented: “We had some very nice horses to judge and I loved our supreme champion who has great action and movement and should do well under saddle.

“It was my first time to judge here and very much an honour. I try to get home for the show every year and last August purchased Dick McElligott’s four-year-old Discreet (a gelding by Kings Master) who was the reserve middleweight champion,” concluded Keogh who hunts a private pack of foxhounds.

After Dublin, he was heading back to Lexington as he is consigning, as agent, around 50 horses to Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale.

The judges also had to select the best turned-out horse in each class and the prizes for these, and for the breeders of the winners, were sponsored by The Meadows Equestrian Centre.