CIARA O’Connor, who has won the Junior/Young Rider event horse class at the Dublin Horse Show for the past two years, qualified for the final once again at Forth Mountain on Tuesday on board her 2025 winner, Ashwood Rio.

The now seven-year-old Dignified van’t Zorgvliet gelding was bred by his owner, the rider’s aunt Sharon O’Connor, out of her Ramiro B mare Pikeur, dam also of the 2024 winner of this class, the Iron Man van de Padenborre mare Ashwood Iron Lady. Ciara is now competing both Irish Sport Horses at CCI3* level.

Last month, O’Connor and Ashwood Rio, who topped Tuesday’s Section B leaderboard having amassed 304 marks, won their six and seven-year-old Balmoral Star of The Future class and then went champion.

Riding for her mother Val, Chloe Walsh qualified in second with the David Bourke-bred seven-year-old ISH gelding Enniskerry Masterpiece (Van Gogh - Enniskerry Encore, by Watermill Swatch). This combination has recorded some excellent placed results at EI110 (J) level this season.

In contrast to the two pairings who qualified in Section B, the Section A winners, Anna Murphy and her mother Naomi’s ISH gelding Drumrankin Hiboy (Tolan R - EMS Eimears Pet, by Loch Cruise) have only had one EI start, that coming in an EI100 at Frankfort Stud in early May. They did, however, qualify for this class last year, finishing fifth behind Ashwood Rio at Dublin.

Murphy claimed the win on 295.5 marks ahead of the second qualifier, Grace Hanna on her mother Jennifer’s ISH mare Grantstown Imperial (Cavalier Land - Grantstown Hights, by Imperial Hights). The seven-year-old bay, who finished sixth of 32 in the CCIYH2* at Lisgarvan House last August, is a half-sister to the KEC Maximum Joe gelding Grantstown Cooley (CSI4*).

The day’s judges were Jane Whitaker and Bernie Webb (ridden display), Lulu Parkhill (suitability and potential in the presentation phase) and Louise Codd (suitability and potential in the jumping phase).