SIXTEEN combinations came forward for the Flexible five-year-old Championship, eight from both qualifiers earlier in the week. It was leading young rider Timmy Brennan, fresh off winning team silver at the young rider European championships two weeks ago, who took the spoils.

This time, Brennan partnered the Emerald Van’t Ruytershof-sired mare GCS Ruby to victory, double clear in 30.25, winning by one second. “GCS Ruby is a home-bred mare whose pedigree is very impressive,” Brennan told The Irish Field. “Her dam GCS Athena jumped to 1.50m with Canadian rider Amy Miller and grandam MHS Attraction jumped to 1.60m with Spanish rider Sergio Alvaro Moya. Ruby’s brother Augustus Z won the seven-year-old final at Lanaken last year. The plan is to finish up Ruby for the season, collect embryos over the winter time and then aim her at the six-year-old classes next year.”

Less than a second separated the next three placings with Rhys Williams continuing his successful show by partnering with Williams Sport Horses’ Catoki gelding PARC Dakota into second place breaking the beams in 31.25. Adrian Williams spoke to The Irish Field afterwards: “Dakota is very careful scopey gelding who we bought as a two-year-old from Frank Cunningham. He has been very consistent this year coming second in the five-year-old championship in Mullingar earlier in the year and came second in his qualifier for the RDS. He is a very competitive horse and we are very excited for the future with him.”

Returning four-year-old champion from 2025, Rich and Royal, completed the podium in third with Harry Wood on board. The Ballypatrick and Richard Kirby-owned stallion was very quick and smooth to leave all the fences standing in a time of 31.86.

Waterford woman Gemma Phelan was just edged off the podium when steering ABC Mayflower into fourth. The Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve mare crossed the finishing line in 31.93. Taylor Cummins on Eddie Moloney’s El Barone 111 Z mare took fifth in 33.40 and Alisha Vard took sixth with her own Defender VDS Z mare Romai in 34.68.