“WITHOUT doubt it’s the best week we’ve ever had,” exclaimed Brian Murphy as he made his way back to his Co Kilkenny base late on Sunday night.

It was a marathon of all marathons for the Wexford native, with 17 horses under his charge, but worth it all when landing the supreme hunter accolade with Debbie Harrod’s seven-year-old champion heavyweight gelding BBK Flynn.

Standing reserve supreme hunter was Andrew and Cheryl Whiteley’s champion four-year-old and champion middleweight, Carnally Arizona, ridden to perfection by Rachel Moore Rooney.

Down through the years only a handful of horse producers have sent out both the supreme hunter champion, and the young horse champion (Regina Daly’s Timpany Tiger Too) from the same yard. It is a feat that Murphy and his team at Bishops Hall near Kilmacow now hold with great pride having lifted the Laidlaw Cup just 24 hours earlier. “It takes a huge effort to get here, and I have to thank everyone involved, particularly all my owners,” he commented.

It was back in 2016 when Murphy first stood at the top of the supreme hunter line-up with another heavyweight, Fort Knocks. “Any championship I ever won in the Main Arena was on a heavyweight,” he added, having also won that heavyweight title in 2024 with BC Foxrock. The same combination was reserve heavyweight in 2025 to Raglan Road who went on to win supreme under P.J. Casey. BBK Flynn only arrived at Murphy’s yard in May, so their preparation for Dublin was short and sweet.

“I got a call from his owner Debbie Harrod just after Balmoral. From there we only did a handful of shows. We went to Ballivor, Clonmel and Tattersalls. He won at all three and qualified for HOYS at Clonmel. He’ll take a break now and that’s next for him.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, BBK Flynn started his life in Ireland, but spent some time in the UK before coming full circle.

By the Arko III stallion Arkan (who also sired the 2024 hunter champion Tattygare Me Me Me), he was bred in Co Down by David Mulholland (See ‘Around the ringside’ on facing page).

Later sold to Dessie Gibson, he missed some key shows in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, but as a three-year-old placed sixth in the All-Ireland at Bannow. He was also fourth in his heavyweight division in Dublin that year and then snapped up by Jill Day for top British show horse producer Robert Walker. “Funny enough my partner Aimee (Stunt) was working at Robert Walker’s yard at the time and was involved in breaking him,” Murphy added.

In an interview for the show, his Yorkshire-based owner Debbie Harrod, who fulfilled a lifelong dream on Saturday, takes up the story. “He was bought two years ago, originally for Polly (my daughter) to ride, so when Brian’s done with him, he’ll come over to England and do a few classes with her.” Prior to her purchasing him he had not been shown out of Walker’s yard.