THERE were plenty of Northern-connected winners over the first two days of the Dublin Horse Show starting in Class 1 for six-year-old and upwards lightweight hunters where Ballynahinch’s Rachel Moore partnered David Sloan’s home-bred bay, Drumlane Major, to victory.

The class for five-year-old lightweight geldings was won by the Victoria Clarke-ridden The Masters Choice who is produced for Templepatrick’s Jayne McConnell by Richard Iggulden.

Comber’s Andrea McKee topped the final line-up in the ladies’ side saddle class on her own Dancing Queen, a 10-year-old Crosstown Dancer mare who was bred in Hillsborough by the McIlwaine family out of the Denel mare Fernisky Rose who ran three times when trained by Harry Smyth.

One of the first championships at the show was for performance Irish Draughts where the reserve sash was presented to the four-year-old Crosstown Dancer gelding Dowdstown Purple who was ridden by Tullymurry’s David O’Connor for Greyabbey’s Barry and Jackie Marsh. Leading Dromara show horse produced Dessie Gibson won the two-year-old colts and geldings’ class with Greenhall All Business.

There was much celebration among the extended Carlisle family from Ballynahinch when Gareth’s home-bred Mullaghdrin Touch The Stars gelding MT Star Lux won the three-year-old potential event horse class. Former trainer turned bloodstock and sport horse agent Brian Lusk is joint-owner with rider Louise Codd of the four-year-old young event horse class winner, Future News.

In the Connemara section, Killinchy’s Emily McGowan partnered her own three-year-old potential event horse to victory in the younger performance hunter championship, while Eglinton’s Jackie Hockley had the pleasure of seeing her sister, Lisa, win the four and five-year-old flat class with Fanad Romeo.