BRINGING a champion back to Dublin always runs the risk of handing over a crown, especially with other former champions and young pretenders vying to win this year’s Irish Draught stallion class.

Pat Hoare’s Moylough Supremacy held onto his title though last Friday when, with 12 entries, it ran as a single class. Dividing a large number of entries into two sections is prudent on safety grounds, however, the consensus amongst owners and spectators is one Dublin stallion class provides a more clear-cut result.

The appearance of several generations amongst the line-up was a standout. And full-brothers too, as Moylough Supremacy and Moylough Legacy stood first and third in the initial line-up; separated by the 2023 champion, Grace Maxwell Murphy and William McMahon’s Edenagor Star.

The latter’s sire, Matt Loughnane’s Dunsandle Diamond was pulled in fifth, one example of a sire-and-son in the class of 2025.

Three generations were witnessed by the Ring 1 spectators in the Sean Barker-owned pair of Gortfree Hero and his son Gortfree Lakeside Lad - pulled third in the preliminary line-up - plus Gortfree Hero’s grandson: Gabriel Slattery Jnr’s Fuerty Welcome Lad.

Judges Julie Cornthwaite and Claire Oliver’s final line-up underwent a reshuffle in the lower placings. However Moylough Supremacy, led by his greatest fan in Stevo Finn, held his ground.

Cloud nine

“There was a lot of debate whether to take him back but Dad said, win, lose or draw, he would like to bring them both and roll the dice,” Pat’s daughter Kate commented afterwards.

“Thanks to Stevo and Sean Hoare for doing a super job showing Supremacy and Legacy and helping us all year with the two stallions during covering season and to all the team, including Laura Tarpey, who is now taking up a running career [see Irish Draught mares report], Jack O’Shaughnessy, Shane and Pat Kenny. It’s a huge effort to get them there and I really appreciated it.

“Dad is on cloud nine for the foreseeable. Three in a row? Not sure how the nerves would hold up, given I hid over in Simmonscourt for the class, but we will see!”

It was a Galway one-two as the five-year-old Edenagor Star, bred by Jim McNulty, stood reserve champion this year. (In fact, five of the top six in the final result are Galway-owned, including Dunsandle Diamond (fifth) and Tommy McMahon’s Ludden Skywalker, by Luke Skywalker, sixth.)

The exception was Gortfree Lakeside Lad and the Mayo stallion retained third place, the same result he had here last year too. This now totally white stallion is a former dual-winner of both the Irish Draught performance class and the open working hunter championship title.

Moylough Legacy placed fourth this year. Having won a section in 2023, then standing reserve to Edenagor Star, it means that each brother is an RDS winner.

Both of the Hoare family horses are by the Dublin champion Carrabawn Cross and out of the Castana mare, Ardcarne Vilamear.

They were bred by the late John Gilboy, from Boyle, who had given the Hoare family first refusal on any colt Ardcarne Vilamear produced, having already sold them Moylough Legacy.

That promise paid off with a second Dublin tricolour for her next colt: Moylough Supremacy.