JAMIE Smyth didn’t have a huge book of rides at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan but he had a good one in Debbie Harrod’s BBK Flynn, who, on his debut under saddle, won Saturday evening’s Equine Viewer Ireland novice supreme championship. “We bought him from Dessie Gibson just before Christmas,” Smyth said of the six-year-old bay Irish Sport Horse gelding who is by Arkan, sire also of Tattygare Me Me Me on whom the rider won the supreme hunter championship at Dublin last August.

Bred in Co Down by David Mulholland, BBK Flynn is out of the Ballynolin Dudley mare BBK Sumaya who did a small bit of registered jumping. Gibson showed the NIF supreme champion in hand as a youngster.

Earlier on Saturday, Smyth and BBK Flynn won their novice hunter horse class but, in the novice ridden championship, where the gelding changed legs in the gallop, they had to settle for reserve champion behind Ryan Anderson and the cob, Highview Water Mark.

There was no switching of leads in Saturday’s championship decider where Smyth claimed the honours on BBK Flynn while Gwen Scott had to settle for reserve on Peter McClelland’s Rockdale Star Bouncer, a five-year-old gelding by Moylough Bouncer on whom she has qualified for the Irish Draught performance championship at Balmoral next week.

Smyth is targeting BBK Flynn at the heavyweight hunter class at which he will also be aimed at Dublin. Harrod’s Lulu de Beau, who won the small riding horse class at Dublin last August, is another of 15-strong entry Smyth has made for Balmoral.