THE reserve champion filly of the show came from the two-year-old divisions. This was William Little’s home-bred, My Valleys Diamond, a winner of her well-supported, 18-entry class on Thursday, before returning for the filly judging on Friday afternoon with handler Shirley Hurst.

Placing second in the two-year-old filly class was another home-bred, that of the Newells’ Kilcahill Ruby, who later went on to be reserve champion traditionally-bred horse.

Des McDonnell, meanwhile, showed his home-bred gelding by the Kennedys’ Oldenberg stallion Conticco to win the seven-strong middle/heavyweight gelding division. Champion at Bonniconlon a few days earlier, this chesnut is well-related as his dam Ladie Finess is a full-sister to Emme, winner of the show jumping section in the 2023 Breeders’ Championship.

Second here was Niamh and Darragh Glynn’s VG Elusive Knight, a son of the 2015 Croker Cup winner Elusive Emir.

Champion young horse

A total of eight geldings were brought forward for judging by Jonathan Mills and Tim Wiggett for the lightweight class and they found their winner in John Mulconroy’s OTG Expresso Martini. Bred in Antrim by Colville Stewart, this one is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Warrant, out of Rum and Raisin, by French Buffet. “My wife Caoimhe, who judges, and my father John Snr, found him only in March. He did one show in Loughrea, where he was champion young horse, before Dublin.” OTG stands for their Out The Gap farm in Tulla, Co Clare.

In what proved a very busy week for the Hurst Show Team, they were second here with Dessie Gibson’s Irelands Call. The team had won the Red Mills All-Ireland two-year-old colt/gelding championship at Tinahely with him only a few days previously. “That’s showing,” commented Shirley Hurst afterwards. This gelding, too, is by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet who had a tremendous week as a sire of numerous horses in the ribbons.

It was a quick turnaround for the Hursts who presented two youngsters for the two-year-old championship. The judges found their winner in William Little’s My Valleys Diamond (by the late Vittorio), who was following up a tremendous double having landed the All-Ireland two-year-old filly championship at Kildysart the weekend previously.

“She’s won nine times already,” commented her owner who also bred the dam, My Valleys Angel, by Emperor Augustus. “I nearly lost this two-year-old to colic as a foal,” he said. “The dam is gone now, and I have no more horses, so I will be keeping this one as a broodmare,” he added.

It was truly a fillies day as the line-up at Dublin matched that at Kildysart in that Kilcahill Ruby was reserve champion two-year-old for a delighted Newell family and shown by Brendan’s son Matthew. This was adding to her many other accolades, including an All-Ireland championship as a foal. By Financial Reward out of another home-bred, Kilcahill Diamond, Kilcahill Ruby is qualified for the Limerick Lady next weekend.