THE Meadows, Mullingar Equestrian and Barnadown played host to three action packed and thrilling days of jumping where combinations earned themselves a coveted golden ticket to the Dublin Horse Show.
The tickets were won in four age classes: four-year-old, five-year-old, six-year-old and seven/eight-year-old horses. It is a great achievement and boost to all the riders, horses, owners and breeders who have qualified as they will get to showcase their talent on a global stage. There were 123 combinations qualified over the four classes and it goes to show the wide range and quality of stallions available to breeders as there are 84 different-sired horses set to compete with Emerald Van’t Rutyershof topping the charts with five offspring, while Tyson, Luidam and Aganix de Seigneur all came in with four apiece.
The Irish Sport Horse studbook leads the way from a total of 11 studbooks with 88 registered horses set to compete while KWPN, Belgian Warmblood and Zangersheide follows with nine, eight and seven respectively. The standard of riders in Ireland is always improving which can be seen by the fact that 70 different riders will take to the start list, with Kian Dore, Harry Wood and Coen Williams leading the way with five each. In order for riders to shine they need owners and breeders to supply the horsepower and there are a wide range of both making the qualified list. Some 110 different breeders make the list and it was international breeder Gijbels Stables Bvba leading the way, while there are 85 different owners with Williams Sport Horses topping the charts with nine qualified horses. Let’s take a look back at how some of the qualified combinations won their tickets.
Six-year-olds
The 2026 Dublin Horse Show will see the unveiling of the new Laya Arena, with action kicking off on Wednesday, August 5th, at 8.30am with the six-year-old class. There were 237 entries over the three qualifying days to find out the 36 combinations that will battle it out in order to win the Cruising National Championship. The top eight combinations from both qualifiers on Wednesday (Laya Arena) and Thursday (EOS IT Solutions Arena) will go forward to Sunday’s final in the Laya Arena.
Jason Foley on the Martin Egan-owned Castlefield Tycoon was the first in the winner’s enclosure, winning at The Meadows and holding off the challenge from talented young riders Katie Nallon with Carnlea Chinos Lulu, who finished second, and Billy Sinnnot with Rosconnell Popstar who took third. Mullingar Equestrian was next on the journey, where another top young rider Stephen Gibbons, riding the El Barone mare Ukkie Vd Slypshoek, crossed the finishing beam the quickest to seal their place. Rhys Williams partnered GLC Little Pleasure, owned by Williams Sports Horses, to second and Jack Brennan completed the podium with the Vigo D’Arsouilles gelding MHS Superstition in third.
At the final qualifier in Barnadown, it was Rhys’ younger brother Coen who won aboard Parc Kesha, sired by Kannan. Williams edged Emily Moloney, who partnered the Belgian warmblood Ukina, into second place. Oisin Alyward teamed up with Sheila Alywards Paraldine D to take third place.
Conor McMahon and Serran De Bun won the four-year-old qualifier at The Meadows \ Tori OC Photography
Four-year-olds
All three four-year-old classes over the course of the show will be held in the EOS IT Solutions Arena. The first qualifier will take place on Wednesday at 2.35pm and the second qualifier on Friday at 8am. The top six combinations from the two qualifiers combined, based on points, will move forward to Saturday afternoon’s final, where they will jump one round with their regular rider and then the second round with an international rider. The scoring system at the Dublin Horse Show will be the same scoring system used during the three qualifiers. Points are awarded for the following: Jumping technique and natural ability: 100 marks (10 fences at 10 marks each), future potential 50 marks, rideability 50 marks. The maximum mark possible is 200 with the final percentage score being the total marks divided by two.
A total of 24 golden tickets were won over the three qualifiers out of a total of 214 entries and it was Conor McMahon with the KWPN stallion Serran De Bun who took top honours at The Meadows. The pair scored a very impressive 88.75 marks which turned out to be the highest mark achieved over the three qualifiers. Taylor Cummins, with Thistletown Katie Taylor owned by Emily Moloney and Olivia Byrne, was also very impressive, scoring 86 marks to take second. Olive Clarke completed a high performing podium when partnering KMS Sapphire into third, the Emerald Van’t Ruytershof mare scoring 85.25 marks.
At the qualifier in Mullingar, only one point separated the top three and it was Jack Ryan who came out on top with GS Rockstar, another horse by Emerald Van’T Ruytershof. The Marguerite Ryan owed stallion scored 83.75 marks, just edging Havard Dragset into second place. The Norwegian rider partnered the Belgian warmblood mare Warande Van Het Netehof to a score of 83 marks. Aidan Kileen completed the podium with his own Grangebeg Rosie, a gelding by Conticco, scoring 82.75 marks.
Normally, the qualifiers are run over two rounds but, with the high temperatures at Barnadown, the ground jury made the decision to run the class over one round, judged by experienced Germans Philipp Bolle and Willi Brunkhorst. David Moran shone brightest with Racecourse Farm’s HK Horatio. The ESI Indigo-sired gelding - bred by Gerald O Neill - scored the top mark of 86. Both judges were of the same belief that HK Horatio was a modern type and quick off the ground.
Michael Pender was next to secure his golden ticket when partnering his own Madgeslane Enzo into second place, the Madgeslane Luidam gelding scoring 83.25 marks. Pender just edged Shane Goggins into third place, who scored 83 marks on the Charles Hanley-owned and bred mare Aganusha Key 11SR Z, who is by Aganix Du Seigneur Z. The high level of quality over the three qualifiers will ensure a wide open Mo Chroi National Championship in the EOS IT Solutions Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Five-Year-Olds
The five-year-olds get their campaign underway on the Thursday in the Laya Arena. On Friday they move to the EOS IT Solutions Arena for their second qualifier. The top eight combinations from both qualifiers will move forward to the Flexible National Championship Final on Sunday.
A total of 290 entries were made over the three qualifying days for 36 golden tickets on offer and it was Isobel Fitzpatrick riding Maradona 3 who took top honours at The Meadows. The gelding, by Luigi D’Eclipse and owned by Liam Buckey Sagamore Farm, produced an excellent triple clear round in 35.46 to take the win. Waterford woman Gemma Phelan was in top form on the day teaming up with owner Gerard Burke to take both second and third place. The Vagabond De La Pomme mare Vibe of Picobello - who is registered with the Zangersheide studbook - took second place in 36.26 and the Irish Sport Horse mare ABC Mayflower (by Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve) was third.
The 2025 Irish National Champion Niamh McEvoy took fourth place riding the Rock n Roll Ter Putte-sired gelding BP Bob Rock.
In Mulllingar Equestrian, it was just as competitive and exciting to watch as Shane Treanor and Kinmar Rustanza landed the spoils by taking top spot by just 0.02. The Gerry Marron-owned mare kept Rhys Williams and Parc Dakota by Catoki in second place. Charlotte Harding, on the Cornet Obolensky stallion Clover KXC, also produced a very good triple clear to take third place.
The third qualifier at Barnadown Showjumping didn’t disappoint either with 12 triple clears posted under the beautiful sunshine. It was the successful team of Jason Foley and Castlefield Breeding Farm who took first place. This time Foley rode Castlefield Paris and led from start to finish in the jump off over the John Doyle-built course. Another Castlefield rider Eoghan Fahy was just narrowly behind in second when partnering the Susan Fitzpatrick-owned Keatingstown Spirit. Leading young rider Paddy Reape, from the Connaught region, booked his ticket when coming third with Jonathon Reape’s Creevquinn Amber.
Sophie Richards and Top Gun Vd Bisschop won the seven and eight-year-old qualifier at Mullingar \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net
Seven and eight-year-olds
The seven and eight-year-olds class is different to the other three age classes, as it is an international class and the four/five/six-year-old classes are national classes. Some 27 golden tickets were won over the three qualifying days from a total of 258 entries. These combinations will be joined by horses from some of the international riders competing at the show. The action kicks on in the EOS IT Solutions Arena on Wednesday for the first qualifier and then moves to the Laya Arena on Friday. In both qualifiers, points will be awarded for each placing where first place gets 100 points, second place 99 points, and third place 98 points.When all the points are tallied, the top 50% - as well as the double clears in Friday’s qualifier (not already qualified) - will move forward to the final on Sunday.
It was an intense and competitive journey to win the golden tickets at each qualifier and it was Niamh McEvoy who kicked things off, winning the first qualifier at The Meadows with the French-bred mare Jasmoin D’Ariel, owned by Gary and Leslie Hazelwood of Triple T Farms. Another leading female rider Jessica Burke, fresh from competing at the World Cup Finals in April and now based back in Ireland, partnered with Rial’s Varinjo to take second place. Another member of the growing Foley dynasty, Max Foley, teamed up with Hugh McOwan’s consistent mare Illusion De Hus to take third place, Foley winning the final of the Showjumpers Club TRM Spring Tour 1-35m Grand Prix earlier in the year.
Sophie Richards brought all the firepower to Mullingar Equestrian when taking first place with her own and Maurice Cousins’ Top Gun Vd Bisschop, edging Max Foley into second place. This time Foley was riding Marion Hughes’ Luidam gelding HHS Lexington. Coen Williams added to his list of qualified horses when taking third on Williams Sport Horses’ Parc Violeta.
At the final qualifier in Barnadown Showjumping, it was the turn of leading event rider Cathal Daniels to take the honours. Daniels partnered with the Hans Kuehnle-owned and bred seven-year-old mare Tullibards Pandora (by Tullibards Bennys Legacy) and proved unstoppable on the day. Jessica Burke was on form once again taking another second place, this time with BWE Windsor, a Casallco seven-year-old mare owned and bred by Brian McConville. Munster young rider Kian Dore also produced a very good result in taking third place riding Carl Dore’s stallion Tyfoon Donkhoeve by Cazan Van Het Schaeck Z.