THE amount of interest, both nationally and internationally, in the two main young horse championships in Ireland showed no sign of slowing down in 2025.

The coveted titles at the Dublin Horse Show and at the Breeders’ Championships a few weeks later, have proved themselves, again and again, to be an accurate indicator of future stars; not only earning youngsters the titles, but often selection to represent Ireland in the World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken, Belgium.

Seven and eight-year-olds

Irish riders impressed in this year’s seven and eight-year-olds with the top three prizes all staying at home. Sponsored by the Elliott Group for the first time this year, the lion’s share of the prize money went to German-based Irish rider Bertram Allen riding the seven-year-old Next Cornet, owned by Allen’s Aloga Stables.

The duo produced the first double clear round as sixth to go in the 10-way jump-off, stopping the clock at 39.06. Cian O’Connor and Susan Magnier’s eight-year-old German-bred gelding Pegasus came closest to catching them, breaking the beams in 39.87 for the runner-up spot.

At the Irish Breeders’ Classic at the end of August, CSF Thomascourt Zena, a mare by Zirocco Blue VDL out of CSF Princess Doorn (Prince Des Vaux) took the top spot for rider Vincent Byrne, breeder Patrick Connolly and owner Annmarie Dunne in the seven and eight-year-old final, while Niamh McEvoy rode the Belgian-bred gelding Cold Play S Z (Casallo Z x Chin Chin) into the runner-up spot for owner Andrew Thompson.

Niamh McEvoy and BP Othello, winners of the six-year-old final at the Dublin Horse Show \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

Six-year-olds

Looking back to the six-year-old division in Dublin, Ballypatrick’s Niamh McEvoy scored her second young horse championship win in as many days when she backed up her four-year-old win on Saturday with the six-year-old title on Sunday morning.

Riding the Ennisnag Stud-bred BP Othello (Ganesh Hero Z x Tygo), the Ballypatrick-based rider posted one of only two double clears in the four-way decider to secure the win.

Speaking to The Irish Field following the victory, McEvoy said: “I thought the six-year-olds was definitely all about the jumping. When I walked it, I thought it was probably one of the biggest six-year-old tracks I’ve seen. He’s a really, really nice horse. I haven’t had him too long, obviously, Michael (Roche) bought him in the Ballypatrick Auction as a three-year-old and has produced him himself.

“I was really, really impressed by him. I thought he jumped around really easy, he showed a lot of scope and good character. He is out of the same mare as ESI Ali (1.60m), so it’s a really interesting pedigree.”

The other major championship of the year for youngsters, the Irish Breeders’ Classic in Barnadown, Co Wexford, saw another talented six-year-old come to the fore. The impeccably-bred Fernhill SDF Five Star was crowned the six-year-old champion on the final day of the show.

Owned by Carol Gee and ridden by Timmy Brennan, he is by Nick Skelton’s Olympic gold medallist Big Star, out of a mare by Lux Z named Lux San, and was bred by Samantha Heaney Fegan.“I bought him from Jessica O’Driscoll when he was four doing the young horse event horse class in Millstreet,” Gee said.

“I bought him as a jumper, I thought straight away he was a jumper, I didn’t think he was an eventer to be honest. Timmy’s brother Eoin rode him as a five-year-old. They placed in the five-year-old final in Dublin and qualified for Dublin as a six-year-old this year.

“I thought the track was as big as you would want to jump any six-year-old, but it was so well designed that made it very jumpable and very rideable, so all credit to the course builder.”

Following qualifiers on Thursday and Friday, a starting field of the top 20 six-year-olds lined out for the 1.30m track, which offered a prize pot of €17,500 supported by DAFM and delivered by HSI. Of the 20 starters, just seven combinations managed to deliver a first round clear to progress to the timed decider.

Gemma Phelan and Suma Stud’s home-bred mare Suma’s Lumen (Ard Vdl Douglas x Master Imp) cleared all the fences, but were slightly off the mark to claim the runner-up spot.

Five-year-olds

Unicum H, a Belgian-bred stallion owned by Ennisnag stud, won the five-year-old ‘Flexible’ championship final in Dublin. Guided by Shane Dalton, the youngster proved best of the 16 finalists, who had earned their places during the qualifying rounds on Thursday and Friday.

By President out of Jewel Vita-H, by Cicero Van Parnell, the pair are no strangers to the winner’s enclosure having finished in the top five at every outing since Dalton took on the ride in April 2024.

Speaking after the win, Dalton said: “I love the horse, he’s so consistent. I have him for Andrew (Hughes) since May 2024. The first show I did with him was in Marion’s (Hughes) as a four-year-old. I had only been riding him a couple of days, and I already knew he was something special.

“He has done a few of the Horse Board classes and was leading the league heading up to Balmoral, he was very unlucky, we just missed out on qualifying on the Saturday which was a pity, I was looking forward to seeing what he’d do in the final, so thank God for Dublin because we got a chance to show what he was capable of. He is a fantastic horse. He goes out there and puts on his own show.”

Tabitha Kyle and the Belgian-bred mare Ottani Z (Otterongo Alpha Z x Lord Z) managed to leave all the poles in place in a good time for the runner-up spot.

Jack Ryan and Galwaybay Jim, winners of the Irish Breeders' Classic five-year-old final at Barnadown \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

The five-year-old Championships at the Breeders’ Classic was won by Galwaybay Jim ridden by Jack Ryan. By Catoki out of Galwaybay Anika (Kannan), he was bred by Justin Burke and is owned by Jack’s father John.

“We are delighted with the win. He was bred by Justin Burke from Galwaybay Sporthorses. He is a lovely horse. He was fifth in the Ruby in Millstreet recently and then was fantastic at the Breeders,” Ryan said afterwards.

“His natural balance is very good; he can do his flying changes perfectly. He is very easy to turn, so that makes it easy to go fast.”

Exactly half of the 20 starters, who had qualified over two classes on Thursday and Friday, managed a first round clear over the 1.20m John Doyle-designed track, which meant 10 combinations went forward to battle it out against the clock.

Harry Wood and Jenny Graham’s mare BP Athena II (Aganix Du Seigneur x Bamako De Muze), bred by GBBS Int Ltd, also left all the poles in place, in a good time which put them into the runner-up spot.

Four-year-olds

Niamh McEvoy rode Richard Kirby and GBBS Int’s stallion Rich And Royal to win the four-year-old Mo Chroí Championship at the Dublin Horse Show. The duo scored a massive 171 points to secure the victory. By the Dutch-sire Mumbai Van De Moerhoeve, out of a mare by Crunch, he was bred by Roelof Bril.

Havard Dragset and the gelding Boleybawn Santos, by Super Gold Van De Fruitkorf out of a mare by Plot Blue, owned and bred by Joan Rothwell, took the runner-up spot on 162 points.

The four-year-old Championship final 2025 at the Irish Breeders’ Classic in Barnadown was won by David Moran riding Mikey Pender’s Cushlas Killanca, a mare by Kassander Van’t Roosakker out of Kilanca Sep (Vittorio), bred by Christopher Cronin. Second place went to Abigail Boland and her own Jack Ryan-bred Elma Bo.