THERE are few people more passionate about the Dublin Horse Show, and the Royal Dublin Society, than Joan O’Connor who now has extra reason to look forward to the second Wednesday in August as her Greenhall Granuaile qualified for the five-year-old young event horse championship when winning at Forth Mountain on Tuesday under Co Meath’s Sarah Ennis.

The Co Wicklow architect and arbitrator has been a member of the RDS for many, many years, “long before I ever rode a horse”, and loves exhibiting at the show. She has been more hands-on with her horses in the past but is now becoming accustomed to being on the sidelines.

“I never thought I’d enjoy being an owner but it’s great seeing how Granuaile has progressed with Sarah,” said O’Connor. “I was a bit concerned after the mare had a break following her win in the Stepping Stones league that perhaps I was just blowing her up and that she wasn’t as good as I thought she was.

“Well, those thoughts were dispelled at Forth Mountain which was the first one of those qualifiers I’d ever attended. I thought it was really well organised and the rules are there for the benefit of the horse.

“It was a tough track but you could see the mare really pick up once she was over the show jumping section, where she did knock a pole, and set off on the cross-country stage. She just loves it – as does Sarah who has done a wonderful job with Granuaile – and took it all in her stride. I am so delighted that we have the qualification out of the way so I can enjoy Tullylish next week!”

While O’Connor might be allowed sit up on Greenhall Granuaile for a hack, she is looking forward to doing as much as she can during the summer with her eight-year-old Harlequin du Carel gelding Captain Kerev on whom she was seventh in the EI90 (Amateur) class at Rosanna last month.

Top pedigree

Greenhall Granuaile’s excellent ridden display marks (148 points) in Section A helped her overcome the four penalties show jumping judge Anna Kehoe deducted from her score in the Derby Arena as did her winning tally of 86.78 for suitability and potential.

Bred in Tinahely by Derry Rothwell, the Frankfort Boy grey, who is out of the top showing mare Greenhall Indicator (by Limmerick), completed on a total of 406.78.

Paul Donovan qualified in second with another mare, the Vancouver chesnut Top Notch Sportsfield (401.42), while also securing a ticket for the Dublin Horse Show was Daisy Duggan with Evelyn O’Neill’s Loughehoe Guy gelding, Crown Cruise (397.25).

One of many Northern riders at Forth Mountain on Tuesday, Emma Jackson qualified a second horse for Dublin when winning Section B with Lawrence Patterson’s Ballycreen The Kings General (404.24). The bay Kings Master gelding, who is a full-brother of Ballycreen Milord, being out of the Orbis mare Ballycreen Anouschka, was bred in Co Wexford by David Asp Cosby.

Purchased by Carol Gee after winning at Scarteen, the Sibon W gelding Ranga Tanga Roo occupied the runner-up (397.5) berth here in the hands of Fraser Duffy while the second qualifying ticket went to Paul Donovan riding the Porsch gelding Sportsfield True Delight (392.82).