THE working hunter pony championship at Dublin last year was won by Penny Murphy’s Kontiki, who took the first step towards retaining the title by winning the 158cm class at the qualifier in Knockagh View on Sunday under regular performance rider, Charlotte Harding.

The combination obviously impressed the day’s judges Mairead (jump) and Kieran (conformation) Ryan, as they comfortably topped their overall leaderboard on 101 marks.

These went as low as 15.5, while two combinations were eliminated.

The previous day, Harding and the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding were at Tullylish, where they qualified in second for the older performance Irish Draught final in August. Bred in Co Cork by Seamus Neville, Kontiki is by Killinick Bouncer out of the Holycross mare Glen Cross. He has show jumped up to 1.20m level with Harding while, under his Parkgate-based owner, he has amassed 467 Dressage Ireland points. At Dublin last August, he placed fourth in his ID performance class.

Harding will now have to head down to Sceilig for the final qualifier unlike the second and third-placed combinations on Saturday - Lily Walsh with her mother Jenny’s five-year-old ISH mare Uilinn Gleorte (87) and Hazel McCann with the 10-year-old dun mare Glenara Dun Dancer (87).

Two combinations who will be heading to Sceilig to assure themselves of qualification are Irisha Maeve O’Neill with the 14-year-old ISH gelding Clonagoose Daniel Dubh (85.5) plus Lilymai Walsh and the eight-year-old ISH gelding Chapel Hill Chino on whom she has already started the qualifying process in the 153cm class.