EIGHTEEN-year-old Jason Foley has had a rapid rise up through the horse ranks since graduating from ponies, and his first Dublin championship win in the young horse division came in the six-year-old Cruising championship on Sunday morning in the main arena.

Riding the traditionally-bred Irish gelding Dawsons Flex (Flex A Bill x Kildalton Gold), who is owned by KM Sport Horses and was bred in Co Wicklow by Victor Bennet, Foley won from the startlist of 16 who made it to the final.

Speaking after the class, a delighted Foley said: “He’s a really good horse. He is owned by John Kearney and he has been very competitive all year. He jumped the Horse Sport Ireland classes and won the final in Tattersalls.

“He won the first day here and then we could leave him off for the second day and jump in the final today and he jumped super.

“He has a good bit of mileage now and he is very brave so he wasn’t fazed at all by the main ring. He got in there and enjoyed the round really. He was careful and it was a nice track, it was a bit difficult but it suited him.

“We had to try and be quick going so early in the class and with people like Mikey Pender coming behind you. The plan now with him is to jump the Breeders Classic and go to Lanaken at the end of the year and hopefully be competitive there.”

Just six of the 16 starters progressed to the jump-off over Frank Glynn’s track. Tim Page and Brian O’Malley’s Hillcoote Border Fox, a stallion by Pacino and out of a Cruising mare was pathfinder. They produced a second clear round in a time of 36.21 which would be good enough for third place.

Next in was Foley who produced the unbeatable time of 31.72 to take victory and the Michael Moran Memorial Trophy.

Vincent Byrne and Be Aware, a Pacino-sired mare who is owned by Ronan Tynan, faulted at the final fence to finish with four faults in a time of 33.06 in fifth place. Damien Griffin and Gerry Marron’s home-bred OBOS Quality gelding Kinmar Quality Hero produced a second clear round in 36.08, which was good enough to slot them into second place.

Shane McCloskey finished with two fences down aboard Stacey Watling’s Lisaniska Cool Quality for sixth place. Last to go was Mikey Pender and Marion Hughes’ 2018 Lanaken medallist HHS Vancouver (Indoctro x Don Juan De La Bouverie).

The pair looked to be challenging but knocked the first part of the double. They had the fastest time of the day (30.54) but had to settle for fourth place.