THERE is an international connection to this year’s winner of the Connolly’s Red Mills Champion of Champions hunter final as the Rosemary Connors-ridden and produced All Gussied Up is owned by Kentucky-based Co Clare native James Keogh.

The five-year-old brown Irish Sport Horse gelding by Jorado, who was bred in Co Waterford by Gus Walsh out of Lisaniska Quidam (by Quidam Junior I), qualified when winning the hunter championship at Newcastle West at the beginning of June. The ride judge that day was Connolly’s Red Mills’ Head of Marketing Jane Davis, one of the online commentators on Sunday.

“I bought this fellow as a three-year-old and James saw him just before I showed him at Dublin (where he finished second in his lightweight class),” said Connors. “We left him off to mature last year and this was just his fourth outing. He’ll now go to Dublin and James will be over to see him there.”

While Keogh’s business Grovendale Sales is centred on the commercial thoroughbred market, he is also passionate about hunting and is involved in showing sport horses in the States. Following All Gussied Up’s win on Sunday, he commented on Facebook: “These are the days we really cherish. Congratulations to the consummate horsewoman Rosemary Connors for making this all possible.”

Congratulations also to Connors’s sister Claire who won the best turned-out groom award in this class while Dermot Barlow’s four-year-old Pointilliste gelding ‘Ginger’ won the best turned-out horse award.

Since competing at Barnadown, where she also won the Wicklow Show’s small hunter class on the five-year-old Ras Na Ri gelding Woodie Wiggle (who, too, is heading to Dublin), Rosemay Connors judged the ridden hunters and working hunters at the Agria Royal International Horse Show in Hickstead.

Although she didn’t win any of the finals on Sunday, Nicola Perrin’s good season continued as, in finishing second to All Gussied Up, her Lagans OBOS Quality mare Ballarin Valentina was crowned champion four-year-old. This bay, who qualified at Raheendaw, was bred in Co Clare by Michael Moloney out of the Lancelot mare Voltaire Lady.