“I TOLD PJ when I met him at the Dublin Horse Show last summer I had his 2025 champion,” commented Julia Crosbie after Raglan Road lifting the TopSpec supreme hunter title last Saturday morning.

It might have been a long shot to others, but how right she was of the stunning bay gelding Raglan Road, named appropriately after the poem (and song) about the upmarket street around the corner from the RDS.

By the time the final judging had come round the five-year-old 18hh by HHS Cornet was a firm crowd favourite. He did not disappoint to give Casey his third supreme title in eight years. Standing reserve supreme - for the second year in succession - was Nicola Perrin, this time on her four-year-old home-bred mare, Ballarin Rosalin.

“He’s a beauty - you don’t see anything like him too often,” Casey said of the now Scotland-bound Raglan Road who made the rider’s comeback to Dublin after a six-year absence totally worthwhile. Several championship wins in recent months, including in Athlone and Longford, had set them up nicely for their big week.

“I won the supreme hunter title in 2018 (with Somerville) and again in 2019 with Crown Star but haven’t done much showing since,” Casey said.

“I went more into thoroughbreds. I still had nice show horses, but I was selling them. Sonya and I went to the RDS last year for a look. Julia mentioned she had this four-year-old at home. He was backward, but I really liked him. We were just moving to our new place in Meath, so they held on to him until we had stables ready.”

John and Julia Crosbie spotted him in a field as an untouched two-year-old. “We went to see a foal that Peadar Murphy had, and I asked him if there was anything else around. He recommended we see this youngster running with his dam down the road. There were only two of them in the field.

“At that point he was 16.2hh but I just loved the bones of him. We hadn’t seen anything like him in a long time,” added Julia, who gave him all the time he needed and lightly showed him in 2023. During this time he placed third in the All-Ireland at Bannow and second in his three-year-old class at Dublin when named Tinnascolly Magic - after the townland of his breeder near The Rower in Co Kilkenny.

Thrilled

A full-time sheep and beef farmer, Laurence Hanrahan has just two mares ‘as a hobby’ and was thrilled to hear that his Cullintra Holly (Capo Est), had produced a champion. “A few years ago I was told he was too big and would be good for nothing,” he said.

The eagerly anticipated hunter judging got underway in Ring 2 at 8am on Thursday morning with the lightweights, and first in were the four-year-old geldings, judged by Vikki Smith (ride) and Simon Somers (conformation).

From 14 entries, PJ Casey earned his first ticket to the Main Arena with Patrice Dorney’s UK-bound Ground Control, along with second-placed Harrison Taylor on Gabriel Bell’s Rebel For Life.

A group of 13 came forward for the four and five-year-old mare lightweights and here Nicola Perrin booked her spot with Ballarin Rosalin, as did Gwen Scott on Anne Gomes’ four-year-old Memory Lane.

Jamie Smyth had a busy show with 21 horses in total, and one of these was the seven-year-old Bannside Dancer, winner of the six-year-old and over geldings. Second place went to Shane McKenna on the eight-year-old, The Mastercard.

Visiting British rider Elliee Stunt, making her RDS debut, was delighted to top the 10-strong five and six-year-old geldings’ with Amanda Benson’s chesnut Madra Rua. Bred here by Paul Cleary, he was purchased from Jill Day as a four-year-old. Second here was Nicola Perrin with her own Stoneman Team Spirit.

Linzi Sullivan was equally thrilled to win the eight-strong older mares’ class with the seven-year-old Foxcovert Dancingintherain (by Rebel Mountain), who stood ahead of Aubrey Chapman riding Aidan Flanagan’s RSH Strings Attached (Gortfree Hero).

Showing stalwart

There were plenty of spectators around Ring 2 on Friday for the middle and heavyweight judging. From the 15 middleweight four-year-old mares and geldings, judged by Jack Moore (ride) and Dale Atkinson (conformation), Ivan Ryan was on board the Treehoo Sunshine gelding Cnoc Rua Osprey to win for his parents Kieran and Mairead. Showing stalwart Aidan Ryan rode his own gelding FJK Z Venture (by Future Trend) into second.

Six were presented for the mares or geldings five-year-old class, where Jamie Smyth took the winning ride on Hilary Gibson and Mark Morrow’s smart grey gelding, Mr Venture Elm. Shane McKenna was second on Judith Cowley’s home-bred Cloneyhea Capriole, although this pairing did not present for the middleweight championship on Saturday morning.

Gwen Scott, too, had a very busy show with eight horses and booked her Main Arena spot with John McDaid’s six-year-old Tul Na Rí from the older mares and geldings middleweight division of 10 entries.

Multiple champion rider Rosemary Connors was also bidding for further glory when runner-up with Kieran O’Gorman’s home-bred Munthers King, by his own stallion Munther.

James Smyth and Mr Venture Elm at the 2025 Dublin Horse Show \ 1st Class Images

Deserving

Over the years, the heavyweights have typically produced many of the champions, so all eyes were on some of the main contenders. Judging the two classes here were Michaela Bowling (ride) and RDS debutant Terry Chalmers (conformation).

Supreme hunter at Balmoral in May, the Holland-bound Gortfree Hero gelding Tulcon Hero again topped the 11-strong four-year-old mares or geldings with joint-owner William McMahon in the saddle.

Gwen Scott also earned a Main Arena ticket with another Irish Draught, Declan O’Neill’s gelding Drynam Cash Is King.

Our eventual supreme champion, Raglan Road, came from the older heavyweight division that attracted a record entry of 21. In second spot here was Brian Murphy with Amanda Benson’s five-year-old grey, BC Foxrock, champion heavyweight in 2024 and hoping to repeat the double.

Due to ongoing works to re-build the Anglesea Stand, this year’s supreme hunter judging took place in front of the Grandstand. Sadly, a smaller than usual number of spectators were seated for the mares’ decider at 7.45am.

Just four contested this championship, and a deserving winner was found in Nicola Perrin’s gorgeous Ballarin Rosalin, by Radolin and out of Perrin’s prolific broodmare, Seefin Rosewood.

Perrin was presented with the Perpetual Challenge Trophy.

Standing reserve hunter mare was Foxcovert Dancingintherain, bred by Raymond Dowdall and ridden by his daughter Linzi Sullivan. “My father is 10 foot tall, he’s so proud,” Sullivan said of the grey that has done everything, including hunting, dressage and show jumping.

Next up were the heavyweights and just four horses were presented to the six judges, who picked their champion in Raglan Road for the Frances Cash Cup. Reserve, for the second year in succession, was BC Foxrock.

“He has never been beaten in his weight class until this week,” commented Murphy who said the Bryan Maguire-bred grey is now heading to one of the best yards in the UK, having been purchased by Jill Day 24 hours earlier.

Five horses contested the middleweight championship. Here Jamie Smyth secured the first of a unique double with Mr Venture Elm for the Joseph Widger Trophy. By Newmarket Venture, this one is out of Seamus Murphy’s Sunny Elm, already a successful dam of show winners.

It proved a great weekend for Gwen Scott also as Tul Na Rí claimed the reserve spot here, before going on to win the working hunter championship 24 hours later.

Smyth then returned for the lightweight decider and was one of four retained (from nine) to be ridden by all three judges.

There were emotional scenes when he was called forward for the champion’s sash on the recent Tattersalls champion hunter, Bannside Dancer (by Legaland Darco II). As the tears flowed collecting the Samuel Ussher Roberts Cup, he said: “This was the last horse bred by my late grandfather Samuel Smyth.”

Nicola Perrin picked up another sash for reserve here with Ballarin Rosalin, who then went on to win the four-year-old championship (for the Galway-Greer Cup) from the final four in the running, ahead of PJ Casey’s mount Ground Control.

Supreme judging

Seven horses returned for the supreme judging, with four of those retained to be ridden again.

These were Raglan Road, BC Foxrock, Bannside Dancer and Ballarin Rosalin. The supreme judging is always a tense affair and it is not an easy task. With the assistance again of referee judge Joli Smith, Raglan Road was then announced as the supreme hunter, with Ballarin Rosalin in reserve.

“He’s a proper type and would hunt all day long,” the judges said of their champion. Casey was presented with the Perpetual Challenge Cup, in addition to the Michael W. Hickey Cup as winning rider.

Of the champion, PJ Casey said: “He has fabulous breeding and is bred to jump. He has already been popping around a 1m track. He now heads to the showing yard of James Munro and Russell Skelton in Scotland and will hopefully go to HOYS.”

Nicola Perrin with Ballarin Rosalin, who was crowned champion mare, champion four-year-old, reserve champion lightweight, and reserve supreme champion of the show \ 1st Class Images

“I’m over the moon with her,” Perrin said of her mare now sold to the UK. “She got chased by a bull at Athlone Show and ended up with bad rope burn. I had to take my time with her after that and only did a few shows, but she gave me everything.”

Afterwards a formal complaint was lodged to the RDS over the alleged misbehaviour of a horse in the supreme hunter championship. However, the complaint was dismissed by the RDS Show Protest Committee who stated no rule or protocol was broken.