THERE was a definite divide when it came to the three-year-old championship for the Captain Anthony Maude cup at the StenaLine Dublin Horse Show and let’s be sexist here, it was always between the two winning geldings.

The southern contingent backed John and Dora Tyner’s Bullseye, winner of the all-Ireland three-year-old championship at Bannow & Rathangan last month. Support further up the country was for the lightweight class winner, MHS Morning Master, jointly-owned by his breeder, Sinead Brennan, and Brian Murphy who produced him out of the Connolly’s Red Mills-sponsored Gowran Hunt Horses yard of Pat Loughlin.

The Kilkenny horse was reserve in Bannow, when judged by John Chugg, but last Thursday week in Dublin, the placings were reversed by David Walters and Hamish Alexander which set off a long day and night of celebrations. MHS Morning Master, who also won the Pembroke cup as champion home-bred, is by Quidam Junior I out of the 2009 Cavalier Royale mare MHS Cavaliers Daughter whose six-year-old half-sister by Verdi, MHS Fernhill Finale, has been placed in her three novice event starts in England with Kitty King.

Bullseye, who won the medium/heavyweight class at the RDS where he was again shown by Aidan Williamson, was bred in Toomevara by Michael Hogan. The bay is by Orestus out of Cruise Oak (by Cruising).