SLOTTING into the full timetable at the close of play on Friday and Saturday evenings, the two masterclasses for the young horse were fully subscribed.

Friday’s five-year-old opener was a strong affair and was won by a distance by Camilla Speirs’ highly acclaimed five-year-old Ogue BT Special by I’m Special de Muze. A head-turner all season, and a qualifier for the RDS age jumping classes, Ogue BT Special was bred by Vincent Byrne and sourced from Jason Higgins last year.

In a real coup for the breeders, Vincent and Anne Murphy were also responsible for the second-placed Ogue Ardkyle, a mare by Cobra, owned by Peter O’Toole and ridden by Nicola Ennis. Sharing the same mark, but scoring slightly less in the jumping phase, Catherine Robinson filled third with Neil McCluskey’s Gortin House, a mare bred by Cormac McKay by the ISH sire Gatcombe.

“While I thought there were lots of good ones this year, for me the winner was a real standout,” said jumping judge Mike Etherington-Smith. “Overall I think the standard has improved, there were fewer horses that were over produced, and all in all it was a pleasure to judge.”

Oscar B comes out on top

On Saturday it was the turn of the younger group to impress. This they did in number, with Mary Ronayne’s smart first timer Oscar B heading the class under producer Louise Codd. Ronayne, who lives at Villierstown on the opposite side of the estuary to Camphire, bred the O Piloth-sired gelding out of her Oldenburg-bred mare Landgravin (Landor S). Taking advice, she sent him to fellow Co Waterford horseman Benny Crowley to be broken, while he in turn, suggested Louise Codd as the ideal person to produce him further. “He’s only been with me six weeks,” said a delighted Codd. “I can’t believe how well he went, and how settled he was.”

Second place went to Nicky Roncoroni aboard the Tattersalls runner-up Rock ABC. Running under the ownership of Swiss buyers Stall Durst, the Pat Kehoe-bred son of Harlequin du Carel, is out of Cloneen Cruising and is a half-brother to the show jumper Coolgrange Cruising.

Tracy Walshe filled third place with the well-related Ballinaguilkey Fusion. The eye-catching palomino is by Tullabeg Fusion and is out of a full-sister to the Kevin Babington ridden international show jumper Mark Q (1.60m). “There were some lovely horses, and I felt that the standard was much improved from last year,” said judge Judy Bradwell. “The winner stood out – he was beautifully ridden and produced.”

Masterclass graduates also showed their class progressing up the ranks. This year it was especially rewarding to note the 2018 winner BT Angelo finish sixth in the CCI2*YH class, and the 2017 victor Brookfield Benjamin Bounce take the runner-up spot in the CCI3*-S.