LIKE a World Cup graphic charting the matches to the Final, the path to the Laidlaw Cup began last Thursday. It was an 8am start in Ring 1 where the two-year-old classes, the first of the young horse section, took place.

Tim and Pat Martin’s winner Bobsleigh started his Laidlaw Cup campaign here, winning the opening middle/heavyweight gelding class, ahead of the busy Stevo Finn, this time with his own Lord of the Manor (Glynwood Comet).

The lightweight gelding class attracted 16 entries and was won by the Lagans’ OBOS Quality-sired Scattery Lagans, owned by US-based and Wexford-born Brendan (a Team USA vet at several Olympics) and Wendy Furlong.

David Kirkpatrick’s Redwood Orion (Vivant van de Heffinck) placed second, keeping up the northern exhibitors’ strike rate.

Carlow breeder Pat Keogh supplied another Dublin winner for the Burchill family, this time the Hardrock VDL filly ABC Pop Rock. She won the third of the two-year-old classes, ahead of Carrabeg Devine (Billy Zeus), owned by the Carrabeg Stud mother-and-daughter team of Susan and Suzanne Malee and by their own stallion.

The top half-dozen from the three classes, again all sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, provided the two-year-old championship choices. Lucinda Green and David Ingle opted for Bobsleigh from the opening class and the lightweight gelding winner Scattery Lagans as their reserve.