DONAGHADEE’s Megan Hamill had just the one competitive ride at the 2025 Dublin Horse Show but her win in the sportsman’s championship in Ring 2 late last Saturday evening on her own Redwood Quality Street meant she got to participate in the parade in the Main Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The combination had what the rider termed a trial run last year when they finished third in the same middle/heavyweight class behind Mary Rothwell on the section champion Greenhall Stroll In The Park and Lyndsey O’Brien riding Creevaghstables Mr Bloomfield. O’Brien and her nine-year-old Irish Draught gelding lined out again last Saturday but this time they had to settle for third behind Hamill and Redwood Quality Street and Amanda Benson riding another grey ID gelding, Ballingeary Buster, a 12-year-old son of Luke Skywalker.

While it was a long day for judges Michaela Bowling (ride) and Dale Atkinson (conformation), who had been on duty for the hunter championships in the Main Arena early on Saturday morning, they had one last decision to make in the fading light and that was to pick their sportsman champion and reserve. The pair went for the middle/heavyweight division, presenting the tricoloured sash to Hamill and the reserve to Benson on board her Seamus Lucey-bred Ballingeary Buster.

The Irish Sport Horse gelding Redwood Quality Street, a six-year-old bay by Lagans OBOS Quality, was bred in Co Galway by Tom Lenihan. He is out of the Coevers Diamond Boy mare Lachain Sparkle who is dam previously of the Jack Of Diamonds gelding Lachain Jack (CCI4*-S) and grandam of Lachain Or who finished fourth in his four-year-old middleweight class on Friday morning.

“To win the class and championship was fantastic but to get to ride in the parade of champions in the Main Arena at Dublin was something I never thought I’d get to do!” a delighted Hamill told the Irish Horse World. “I bought ‘Tom’ as an unbroken three-year-old from David Kirkpatrick who had shown him a small bit in-hand. I broke him myself and, apart from judges at shows, I’m the only one to have ridden him.

“We’ve had quite a lot of success locally and I compete him in workers as well. This year, we were second (to Diarmuid Ryan and Two Mile Nigel) in the five and six-year-old working hunter class at Balmoral while we warmed up for Dublin at the Tattersalls July Show where, on the first day we were second and reserve champion in the amateur ridden hunters and won the novice workers in which there were just over 60 starters. On the Sunday, I won the working show horse class with my Chillout gelding Elvis (Chill In The Air) who I also bought as an unbroken three-year-old; he’s more of an event type.”

When she can, Hamill travels over to Carolyn Mellor for coaching on the flat but she is also busy in her day job as a training manager with the independent ambulance service Proparamedics who cover all types of events including Balmoral Show and race meetings at Down Royal.

Saturday’s opening lightweight class was won by Birr’s Natasha Hayes on the ISH gelding Ballyeaghan Mocca, an eight-year-old Young Zidane grey who finished second in his working hunter class on Sunday. Leah Murphy filled the runner-up slot on Whitefields Cardento, a six-year-old ISH gelding by HSF Cardento Royale.