A WELL-SUBSCRIBED yearling class for colts or geldings got the action underway at 8am on Friday morning of the 2025 Dublin Horse Show. Even with an entry of 16, the judges were very thorough and gave the win to Dessie Gibson’s Castlefield Conthargos gelding, Cushinstown Special. Derry Rothwell’s chesnut, Greenhall One Cool Cat, placed second. This one comes from a long line of winners as a son of their prolific broodmare Greenhall Catwalk who was third in the Breeders’ Championship show jumping section that same afternoon.

The second of the yearling classes attracted 17 fillies and this saw another of the Greenhall graduates taking the red. This was Ann Lyons’ Greenhall Caviar, a filly by Cavalier Land out of the multiple-winning mare, Greenhall Push Button, shown by Sam McCormick.

Purchased out of the RDS last year when shown in the Breeders’ Championship with her dam, she stood ahead of William and Teresa Williamson’s KLF Wedding Belle, the half-sister to their big winner, KLF Robinhood.

Again the judges deliberated for their champion yearling and, after a slight change in the order from the initial line-up, they picked their winner in Cushinstown Special, with Greenhall One Cool Cat, by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet, in reserve.

Gibson’s champion had been purchased in Goresbridge as a foal from his breeder, Simon McCarthy. Well-bred by Castlefield Conthargos, he is out of the Cavalier Royale mare, Cavalier Cushinstown Cruise, who also produced the 2024 reserve supreme hunter champion, Solsboro Zeus.

Commenting on the success of Cushinstown Special, his handler Shirley Hurst said: “He is very nicely put together and was already champion yearling in Balmoral for us.

“I have to say the judges did an excellent job and were so thorough with every young horse,” she concluded.