THE stage is set. The top young horses from around the country have earned their places in the prestigious Dublin Horse Show finals.

But what does it mean to be crowned champion and where are the winners of previous championships?

Greg Broderick’s domination of the 2014 championships will go down in history as an outstanding achievement. He guided his string of talented youngsters to a hat-trick of wins in the four, five and six-year-old divisions, a feat never before achieved by a single rider.

BP Castlefield

Broderick won the four-year-old championship aboard BP Castlefield, a stallion he bought with his good friend Ger O’Neill of Castlefield Sporthorses at the Coilog four-year-old qualifier.

The horse is by Luidam (KWPN) out of Wendoliene (BEWB),a mare by Darco (BWP), and was bred by Tom Taite.

“I jumped him at a few small shows before Dublin and we felt he was a real international prospect,” recalls Broderick. “Following his victory we decided to sell him on as Ger and I were building up our businesses and facilities so he was sold to Dan Walsh.”

“He was a stallion at that time I rode him (he’s been castrated since). He was a typical young stallion but has a lovely mouth and balanced canter. He’s strongest points were his carefulness and freaky back end,” he continues. “He’s in great hands with Dan and Francis (Connors) and I feel that he has the potential to be a five-star Grand Prix in the future without doubt.”

Alberta Mist

Alberta Mist was Broderick’s mount for the five-year-old win in 2014 and he is still part of the Ballypatrick team. The Womanizer gelding is out of Lisa (WESTF), herself by Landino (HOLST), and he was bred by Ronnie Kell in Limerick.

“He’s been super consistent since Lee Kruger and I bought him from Paul Donovan as a four-year-old. He was the four-year-old champion in Cavan, then was crowned the five-year-old champion in Dublin and as a six-year-old won the championship at Irish Breeders Classic,” he says. “He is a very careful, competitive horse and I believe he is a real prospect for ranking classes in the future.”

Super Chilled

Broderick’s victory in the six-year-old class was courtesy of the six-year-old Super Chilled , who is by Gelvin Clover (ID) out of Ballypatrick Codex (ISH), a mare with no pedigree recorded.

“Following the win I sold him to American-based Irish international Kevin Babington,” says Broderick. “We bred him at Ballypatrick and he was extremely quirky as a young horse. He was with Phillipa Marks in Wicklow for a period as a four and five year-old. She put a lot of time into him and helped him mature. I took over the ride again late in his five-year-old year.”

“I have to say he’s been my favourite young horse to ride, excluding Going Global, of course,” adds Broderick. “I was sorry to see him leave but Kevin and I do a lot of business together and I hope he’s a star for him. He’s now doing some 1.45m classes in the States and Kevin thinks he may well be his next Nation’s Cup horse.”

ESI Star Struck

The winner of the four-year-old championship last year also came from the Ballypatrick Stables.

ESI Star Struck is by Lamm De Fetan (SF) and out of Halona De La Vie (BWP), by Tampa (HOLST), was ridden to victory by Ethen Ahern and is owned by Broderick’s GBBS Ltd and Ennisnag Stud.

“I was on international duty a lot last year so Ethen was keeping the show on the road at home. It’s not easy to get riders you can trust with your best young horses but Ethen has a great feel and has a very good understanding of correct flat work, it was plain to be seen when he took both first and third in the four-year-olds last year,” says the Rio-bound rider. “I was delighted with the results. Not only did the horses jump well but their rideability was great in the ring and it’s very important for the commercial side of the business moving forward.

“Darragh Ryan is my stable rider now and he has qualified Star Struck for the five-year-olds. Darragh is a young rider going from strength to strength,” he continues. “I think the young horse standard in Ireland is improving and it’s very important we retain riders like Darragh and Ethen in Ireland to develop the horses to maximum. It also gives young riders the opportunity to develop their riding ability to a top level, just as I have, while still being based here in Ireland which is very important for the industry here.”

RVS Lui Fortunas

Gemma Phelan and RVS Lui Fortunas, a gelding by Luidam out of a Heritage Fortunas dam, won the Flexible five-year-old championship last year.

Following Dublin, Noel Ryan gelding went on to compete at the World Breeding Championships in Lanaken, Belgium. This year the combination returned to the Irish Sport Horse Studbook league and most recently finished second in the six-year-old final at Cork Summer Show.

“He’s a big scopey horse. He’s improving all the time and I would think that the more challenges he gets and the bigger the fences get the more he will rise to the occasion,” says Phelan. “He’s a horse for the bigger classes and as he strengthens up he is just getting better. We would hope to produce him for Grand Prix level next year.”

She continues: “I feel he has the potential to go all the way. That’s why we aren’t putting him under too much pressure at the moment. I feel that by letting him progress and get stronger that he will reach his true potential.”

Beach Hill Lucia

The 2015 six-year-old winner was Deirdre Bourns’ Luidam mare Beach Hill Lucia, ridden by Jenny Rankin.

After winning at Dublin, Beach Hill Lucia jumped well at Lanaken and just missed out on a place at the RDS this year.

Rankin was in Florida for the winter so the mare had some time off but since coming back to work she has been doing very well in the HSI seven-year-old series.

The mare has the makings of a Grand Prix horse, according to her rider.

“This year we will concentrate on getting more miles on her. With a bit more experience under her belt I’m sure she could go all the way,” she explains. “We’re aiming her at the National Grand Prix circuit and then maybe as a nine-year-old she could head over to Andrew (Bourns) in the States, but she’ll need more time and shows here before she’s ready for that.

“She is careful and very competitive against the clock so I would be very confident of a bright future for her.”