DESSIE Gibson, like others, had to endure a lengthy, miserable winter but all was forgotten last Friday when he won the supreme youngstock championship at the Stena Line Dublin Horse Show with the two-year-old Greenhall Treasure Island while his yearling, Aidensfield Candy King, stood reserve.

Ever cautious about talk of making history in the showring, the Dromara horseman appeared fairly certain when stating: “I reckon I am first person to win the supreme and reserve championship at Balmoral and the supreme and reserve championship at Dublin in the one year with four different horses.”

The Balmoral champion, the Financial Reward yearling Legacy, was sold shortly after the May show and has won on both of his outings in England to date for Martin and Michaela Wood. The RUAS reserve champion, Action Man, was among the Gibson consignment at Dublin where the Harlequin du Carel bay won his two-year-old lightweight geldings’ class and was reserve champion in the age division to his middle/heavyweight stable-companion, the subsequent supreme champion Greenhall Treasure Island.

Action Man was bred in Co Clare by Thomas Minogue out of the Cougar mare My Lady Cougar who is out of a Nautilus mare.

In the yearling section, Gibson’s Aidensfield Candy King had to hold off a strong challenge from John Tyner and Aidan Williamson’s KEC Maximum Joe gelding Thats Class Joe and Tiernan Gill’s Marvyn, a grey son of Cornet Obolensky. However, judges David Walters and Hamish Alexander loved the Sligo Candy Boy chesnut and had little hesitation in awarding him the yearling championship ahead of the Co Cork gelding.

Thats Class Joe was bred in Co Clare by Noel O’Shea out of the Maltstriker mare Mollys Diamondstrike whose first foal, the Chacoa gelding Bridgemans Cocoa Malt, represented the Irish Sport Horse studbook as a six-year-old at Le Lion d’Angers.

As the supreme champion’s name would suggest, Greenhall Island Treasure was bred outside Tinahely in Co Wicklow by Derry Rothwell who had a wonderful show through stock he exhibited himself and by others he had bred and sold. Selling to right people is a major plus for breeders and Rothwell would have had little hesitation in agreeing to Gibson buying Greenhall Island Treasure at a young age.

“David Alcorn and I were at Bannon & Rathangan (in 2016) for the three-year-old all-Ireland and decided to take a look at the mare and foal class. We really liked Derry’s foal which, after a bit of haggling, we eventually bought,” related Gibson.

The supreme champion is out of the Irish Sport Horse mare Greenhall Diamond Lady (by Colin Diamond) who has been bred exclusively to thoroughbreds. Gibson’s gelding was followed by a full-brother and was preceded by four foals by Financial Reward. Their dam was out of Rothwell’s acclaimed broodmare Greenhall Cailin Deas.

DREAM RESULT

The result was a dream one also for Michael Murphy and his family at the Clohamon Stud in Co Wexford as this Dublin supreme champion came from the first crop of Island Commander (by Giant’s Causeway). “It’s great to get a result like that as, with young stallions, they get a drop in mares about this time as breeders are waiting now to see how their stock do over a pole. I love the show horses but I love them more when they can jump!” said Murphy.

Aidensfield Candy King was also bred in Co Clare, by Sean Purtill, and Gibson sourced this son of Sligo Candy Boy at one of his favourite haunts, Goresbrige. “David and I went down to the December sale but we didn’t think we’d be able to buy him as he has a very good jumping pedigree and all the jump boys were there.”

The chesnut is out of the Aldatus Z mare Aidensfield Caprice, dam previously of the Grade A Mermus R gelding Seaburg who won a 1.30m class at Dublin last year and Via Butterfly Flip (by Hannibal V Overis Z).

Only three of the five horses eligible for the traditional Irish horse championship came forward and here Greenhall Treasure Island stood champion ahead of Martin & Walsh’s three-year-old lightweight gelding Superior Choice (by Emperor Augustus).

There were a lot of people hoping the MHS Morning Master would take the overall title but the judges were the ones to count and they came down in favour of Greenhall Treasure Island, who Gibson led himself, while Richard Shannon was called forward into the reserve slot with Aidensfield Candy King.

Walters and Alexander were in agreement on their choices for the top spots. “They had the best limbs and flat bone we have seen in a long time,” said Walters, “and our champion had a super foreleg. The yearling was correct in every way. Some horses moved well but we didn’t like their limbs when we looked closer at them and some horses were badly behaved and didn’t show themselves off properly.”

Having posed for photographs with the Laidlaw cup, and Beryl Laidlaw, Gibson then became involved in negotiations for those horses not already sold. He was in two minds about selling the yearling.

“You have to keep something in the shop window or no one will come inside to buy!” concluded Gibson, the show’s leading exhibitor.