ORLA Roche and Pat Peare hosted the fourth qualifier for the Horse Finder Balmoral Star of the Future performance horse championship at their Wexford Equestrian Centre on Wednesday, when the sun shone for most of the day.

Judge Sally Parkyn, the Irish Horse World’s eventing and sales correspondent, awarded her highest score of the session, 81 marks, to the winner of the six and seven-year-old class, the Irish Sport Horse Willows Freestyle Cavalier (Freestyle Van De Wolfsakker - DSH Miss To Nice, by Douglas Cavalier).

The seven-year-old was ridden by Daisy Duggan, who owns him in partnership with his Co Kilkenny breeder, Seamus Drea. The brown gelding, who has 186 Show Jumping Ireland points to his credit, is one of only two horses Duggan evented last season when he had two runs at CCI2* level - in the six and seven-year-old class at Lisgarvan in August and in the long-format class at Ballindenisk the following month.

On 79.5 marks, John Tilley finished second with the ISH gelding Mr Springmount Paddy (Winston - Lady Passion, by Passion), who is owned by Andrew Williams and Sharon Power and was bred in Co Kilkenny by Michael Hutchinson.

The 2020 bay, first produced by Taylor Cummins and who has 21 SJI points to his credit, qualified for the five-year-old young event horse class at Dublin last August. He competed five times under Eventing Ireland rules during the 2025 season, rounding off his campaign in the EI100 national championship at Barnadown where, with a costly four show jumping penalties, he finished ninth of 19.

Having qualified Dermish Coney at The Meadows, Alyssa O’Neill secured a second ticket for the six and seven-year-old Balmoral final, when finishing third here on 78 marks with her Colm Doherty-bred ISH gelding Knockalla (A Quidam M - Little Miss Red, by Mermus R). O’Neill has competed the chesnut six-year-old for two seasons with SJI, picking up 22 points, and gave him five EI runs last season when he was placed three times from four starts at EI100 level.

One of the 10 starters failed to finish in that class, while all 13 completed in the five-year-old qualifier, where veterinary surgeon Rosie Alcorn topped the scores on 79.5 marks with Goodwins Ceann Amhain (Rock ‘N Roll Ter Putte - Goodwins Babe, by Master Imp). The black ISH mare, who was bred in Co Kilkenny by the rider’s father-in-law, Larry Costello, did some registered jumping last season.

Co Kildare-based William Flood qualified in second (77 marks) with Tara Kinsella’s ISH gelding Killerisk Our Tadgh (HHS Cornet - Killerisk Sarah, by Harlequin du Carel). The bay, who was bred by Maura Counihan, has also done a small amount of registered jumping.

Riding for Andrew Williams of Kilkenny International Sporthorses, Anna Stillwell finished third (75) to qualify for Balmoral with Goldburgs Sister Act, a daughter of Dignified van’t Zorgvliet, who competed in the four-year-old young event horse class at Dublin last August. He was then ridden by John Tilley but, since the turn of the year, has been campaigned by Stilwell. The black ISH mare, who was bred in Co Wexford by Nick Cousins, is out of Mrs Hall, a point-to-point winner by Saddlers’ Hall.

The final Star of the Future qualifier takes place tomorrow, Sunday, at Lusk Equestrian where the late Brian Lusk will be much-missed at this young horse fixture.