TWO leading purchasers of young thoroughbreds, Amanda Brudenell and Gill Richardson, are judging the youngstock section at next week’s Dublin Horse Show, where the prize is the prestigious championship title and the coveted Laidlaw Cup.

The reigning champion, John Donaghy’s thoroughbred gelding Northern Image, came from the two-year-old division last August and these classes are first to be assessed on Thursday morning.

This time around, there is a class for middle/heavyweight geldings where, on paper, the one to catch the eye among six is the 2014 reserve champion yearling, Hurst Show Team’s Tattygare Something Special, a home-bred by Porsch.

Re-opposing is Regina Daly’s Financial Reward bay Keamore Reward who was second to the Hurst horse both here and, prior to that, in the all-Ireland at Carnew.

There is a strong entry of 10 lightweight geldings. Tiernan Gill’s Walk In The Park (Sir Shutterfly) was reserve this year at both Balmoral and Galway County while one has to respect Dessie Gibson’s decision to show his Porsch bay Lough Road in preference to others he has of the same age. David and Charlotte Kirkpatrick’s Royal Highland winner, Redwood Oscar (by Emperor Augustus) will also have his fans.

The Galway champion, Dermot Gordon’s Queen B, who comes from the first crop of the thoroughbred stallion Munther, may well come out on top in the fillies’ class but there are smart types among the 14 entries including last year’s yearling champion here, P.J. Wall’s Sligo Candy Boy bay, Caltra Star.

Also entered are the 2014 all-Ireland champion and reserve, Kieran O’Gorman’s home-bred Lux Z bay Brookfield Royale and Valerie McCallister’s bay daughter of Porsch, Knockrath Dolly, both of whom subsequently finished ahead of Caltra Star at Scariff. Ann Lyons will be represented by her Balmoral winner, Greenhall Push Button (by Financial Reward).

Judging of the three-year-olds is due to commence around 11am on Thursday with the middle/heavyweight geldings’ class where John Donaghy exhibits By Gone Days, a home-bred Financial Reward gelding out of an Arthur’s Gold mare.

The usual strong raiding party from the North includes the Walsh/Martin entry Diamond Choice (by Moshaajir) but one can never dismiss anything shown by Clonakilty’s Seamus Lehane who is represented by Ballard Wise Guy (by Loughehoe Guy).

Dessie Gibson’s 2014 all-Ireland champion and this season’s title holder at Balmoral, Ducketts Grove (by Golden Master), who was third here last year, is among the 16 lightweight geldings listed as is James McWeeney’s Tattygare Fantastic Mr Fox who took the blue in this ring last August.

Looking to the future, Anthony Gill’s home-bred bay by OBOS Quality 004 looks a performance type being out of the Classic Cliche mare Flynn’s Girl who, although she failed to win on the track, had some good placed form to her credit.

The Martin/Walsh exhibit Imperial Choice, who is by Emperor Augustus out of an Arctic Rocket mare, was crowned hunter youngstock champion at the Royal Highland Show in mid-June.

The three-year-old fillies’ class features many people’s idea of this year’s Dublin supreme champion in Rebecca Monahan’s Notalot who is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Lancelot out of a Cavalier Royale mare.

The bay was all-Ireland champion as a yearling, reserve to Margaret Jeffares’s home-bred Emperor Augustus filly Ballykelly Empress at two and, recently, beat off the geldings to take the title as all-Ireland three-year-old at Bannow & Rathangan.

She has never been beaten in her class at Dublin where she has also been reserve champion yearling (2013), reserve champion filly (2013), champion filly (2014) and reserve champion two-year-old (2014).

Judging of yearlings commences at 9am on Friday. In recent years, the geldings’ class has been farmed by the Hurst Show Team and Seamus Lehane. The former have nothing entered next week but Lehane travels up with Ballard Wizard, a bay Colin Diamond gelding out of a thoroughbred mare by Un Desperado.

The first three at Balmoral have been entered by connections, Regina Daly’s winner Ovation (by Harlequin du Carel), the Kirkpatricks’ Cairnview Redwood Guy (by Loughehoe Guy) and Gibson’s Kilcogy (by Golden Master).

More usually associated with geldings, it’s good to see Daphne Tierney have an entry in the fillies’ class through Bloomfield Cloisters, a home-bred Kings Master bay out of an Olympic Lux mare who comes from the family of top British show jumper A Touch Imperious and the two-star Canadian eventer MHS Cooley Quality.