THE late Harold McGahern would most likely have approved of the new championship for junior and young event riders at the Dublin Horse Show for which the first qualifier was held at Scarteen on Wednesday.

The new competition is more akin to the four and five-year-old Young Eventhorse Series classes than any previous version, starting with a ridden display. However, there is no conformation phase and the suitability and potential marks are judged as part of the jumping phase. It is confined to horses aged five to seven.

Harold certainly would have been delighted with Wednesday’s result as the winning rider, Alice Whyte, is a past member of, and current instructor with, his beloved Longford Pony Club while the rider’s father Tom, owner/breeder of her successful mount, Ardagh Epic, hunted alongside Harold for many years with the Longford Harriers.

A speech and language therapist, Whyte junior was delighted to win on her first attempt at a competition such as this although she has done just about everything else with Ardagh Epic who has 118 Show Jumping Ireland points to her credit. The combination has taken part in all Riding Club activities including eventing, hunter trials and unaffiliated dressage competitions.

The West Coast Cavalier mare didn’t amass all those SJI points under Alice alone as she shares the ride on the seven-year-old with Tom who competes with her in amateur classes and, as a member of Mosstown, is jumping her this weekend at the AIRC Festival in Mullingar. Alice, who won a metre class on the mare at the Co Westmeath venue last Sunday, will be back on board Ardagh Epic for next week’s RDS qualifier at Barntown and is very much looking forward to competing in the final at Dublin having already qualified with the mare for the Horseware team show jumping championship final.

Ardagh Epic is the third of seven Irish Sport Horse foals out of the unraced Warcraft mare Ardagh Echo. Her year-older full-brother, Ardagh Breeze, is eventing in Britain with Brook Staples and recently won a novice class at Borde Hill. Ardagh Echo, who is out of a bumper-winning mare by Strong Gale, first had three thoroughbred foals including the three-time winner Cadawill (by Mohaajir).

Whyte (24) topped the scores of Paula Geiger in the dressage phase on her way to a total of 310, winning by a single point from Kate Derwin riding Carol Gee’s six-year-old Sligo Candy Boy gelding, Fernhill Candy Crush. Derwin also qualified in fourth with Gee’s five-year-old Cobra mare, Fernhill Cruiseway (302.5), her mounts being split by Paul Donovan’s seven-year-old My O My gelding, My O My Sportsfield (306.5) who was partnered by French rider Corentin Gautier.

Whyte and Gautier recorded two of just three clear rounds over the five-year-old YES track, while five of the 24 starters failed to complete.