CATHAL McMunn and Jardy won the five-year-old Flexible National Championships in the main arena last Sunday morning and were awarded the Jack Bamber Perpetual Challenge Cup.

Bred in The Netherlands by J.W Elburg, the KWPN mare is by Arezzo VDL out of Dark Lady J, by Vigaro and owned jointly by the rider and Jonathan Reape.

Speaking after the win, Sligo-based McMunn said: “I have had her since she was four, I bought her from Greg Clarke just outside Dublin. She has an outstanding competition record so far. She finished third in the four-year-olds at the Cavan International show last year, she won her Dublin qualifier in Maryville, she was clear three days in a row in Balmoral and then finished third in the final a few weeks ago.

“Now she has won here which is fantastic. She is super careful so I was confident in the jump-off that I could ask her to go fast. She should really have qualified on the first day she just hung up in the air a little over an oxer and had it down so she had to do both days. I was a little worried she may have been tired coming into today but she really grew in there when I put my leg on her.

“I knew with Jason (Foley) and Ger (O’Neill) ahead of me that they were going to be fast but she coped really well; it was all or nothing so we’re delighted.

“I was going to bring her to Millstreet but now I won’t after she jumped so well, I’ll give her a break instead. I may give her one more show at the back end of the year, maybe the international in Cavan we’ll see,” he added.

Sixteen starters were reduced to just six for the timed decider. Ger O’Neill was first to go with KM Sport Horses Dawsons Gold, by Flex A Bill, who was bred by Victor Bennet. They left all the fences intact and posted a time of 32.75 to set the pace.

O’Neill’s stable rider Jason Foley was next to go aboard Sean Cubbit’s Kannan-sired Rockwell RC, bred in Co Carlow by Ronan Byrne. They too left all the fences up and, with a very good turn into the double, managed to slice 0.50 seconds off the leading time in 32.25, which would be good enough for the runner-up spot.

Vincent Byrne was out of luck with Pearl Roche-Fanning’s Olanthe Van De Leeuwerheide (by Balou du Rouet) when picking up eight faults at the first and second fences to see them out of the running.

McMunn was fourth to go and galloping from the off, he steered Jardy to a fault-free round in 32.15 to secure a brilliant victory in the main arena.

Jason Higgins had a busy week at Dublin between the show jumping and eventing classes. In the five-year-old division, he partnered Mary Kehoe’s Creevyquinn Pearl (by Cardento) and adopted the ‘all or nothing’ approach. The combination were on target for a win as they approached the final line, but an error at the penultimate fence cost them the class. They finished with the fastest time of the day in 30.81 but with four to add

Last to go Sean Kavanagh and Castle Lux Clover, owned by Anne-Marie D’Arcy, produced a clear round in a cautious time of 40.67 to fill fourth place.