JAMIE Smyth just loves showing horses in big rings at major shows and he more or less ruled the roost in the Spar Main Arena last Thursday week when Carl Owen and Philippa Scott, who had judged the classes in Horse Ring 1 throughout Wednesday, were joined by Bridget Millington and Mark Tamplin for the Creightons hunter championships.

For the first time at Balmoral, the smalls joined their larger counterparts in the collecting ring and theirs was the first championship judged.

The title went to the four and five-year-old class winner, the Nicola Perrin-owned and ridden Ballarin Beaufort (Chelis HC Z – Huntingfield Diamond, by Huntingfield Heathcliff), a 2021 Irish Sport Horse mare bred by Thomas Moloney.

The Smyth yard’s run of success commenced in the heavyweight championship which he won with Debbie Harrod’s BBK Flynn (Arkan – BBK Sumaya, by Ballynolin Dudley), a seven-year-old ISH gelding bred by David Mulholland. He followed this up by claiming the middleweight title with Hilary Gibson’s Mr Venture Elm (Newmarket Venture – Sunny Elm, by WRS Sun Rich), a six-year-old ISH gelding bred by Seamus Murphy who had stood second in his class on Wednesday.

Smyth then rounded off this stage of the proceedings by winning the lightweight championship on Harrod’s Highview Pickpocket (HHS Cornet – Cavalier Fields, by Cavalier Land), a

As Smyth had no rides, others had a chance in the four-year-old championship which William McMahon won on his wife Grace Maxwell Murphy’s home-bred ISH gelding Gleann Rua Brother (Crosstown Dancer – Gleann Rua Times, by French Buffet), a not-too-subtly-named half-brother to their 2022 Dublin supreme champion Gleann Rua Da Vinca (by Camillo VDL). Gwen Scott stood reserve with Jayne McConnell’s lightweight gelding Sinatra (Mermus R – Castlemorris Passion, by Passion).

For the supreme championship, Smyth chose to ride Mr Venture Elm, a decision which paid off when the grey claimed the Creightons-sponsored title ahead of Gleann Rua Brother, winner of the Pearl Creighton trophy as champion home-bred.

Mr Venture Elm, who was the middleweight champion at Dublin last August, was partnered by Emma Green earlier on Thursday to win the TopSpec ladies’ astride championship while another flat title to go the way of the Smyth yard was that of the Event Technical Services riding horse championship which Smyth himself won on board Debbie Harrod’s ISH gelding King Of Clubs II, a nine-year-old bay by Riverland Roi.

Rachel Moore Rooney, who partnered the ladies’ reserve champion, David Sloan’s home-bred five-year-old ISH mare Drumlane Kate (J’Taime Flamenco – Drumlane Rose, by Cavaliere) won the cob title with Sonya Boyd’s five-year-old lightweight Draughtons Mentor. Moore Rooney won two of the turn-out prizes in the hunter classes sponsored by Glenallen Homes.

Stephanie Moore was presented with the Veronica trophy as winner of the Botanical International side saddle classic on Katelyn O’Driscoll’s ISH gelding Carravilla Enough Said (Chillout – Jimmy’s Wish, by Clover Brigade), a five-year-old bred by Anthony Sheridan.

Matt McGivern and John Gilliver, who judged three strong classes of ridden Irish Draughts, found their APT and Connect Tech Services champion and reserve in the four-year-old class where they had finished in that order.

The title went the way of Mount Briscoe Benigo (Lionwood Kinsales Lad – Mountbriscoe Gaelle Lough, by Moylough Bouncer), a grey gelding ridden and produced by Shane McKenna for breeder Margaret Edgill. The Patrick Gogavin-bred grey gelding AKF Deja vu Cassanova (Cappa Cassanova – Star Of Ardcarn, by Carrickrock Close Shave) was ridden by Katie Crozier for Andrew Ferguson.