JOHN Tyner’s Bullseye scored a major win in the All Ireland three-year-old final at its superb host show Bannow & Rathangan on Thursday.

This three-year-old final is part of Horse Sport Ireland’s showing championship series, combined with the backing of longtime supporters Galway Crystal and Belleek Living. As always, the Wexford championship attracted a quality field for Worcestershire judge John Chugg to find the first of the Irish Shows Association’s All Ireland summer champions from.

Tyner’s VDL Orestus gelding moved up from third in the initial line-up to top theclass, much to the delight of a substantial West Cork ringside party. Bred in Toomevara by Michael Hogan, the dark bay stood champion ahead of MSH Morning Master, owned by the Brennan and Murphy partnership and bred on similar Quidam Junior-Cavalier Royale lines to MHS Going Global.

Third place went to last year’s winning owner Daphne Tierney with her home-bred Bloomfield Manuscript, by Financial Reward, while the top-placed filly prize went to John Williams’s Limmerick-sired Mantlehill Diamond Melody.

“It was a very good standard, I thought the first three were the most lovely, lovely quality horses. The market is still good [for Irish-breds in the UK] because we aren’t breeding them anymore,” Chugg commented.

Horse Sport Ireland CEO Ronan Murphy, accompanied by the HSI Breeding Director Alison Corbally, took a keen interest in proceedings, saying: “It’s the first time I’ve attended the final and I’m absolutely thrilled to be at Bannow & Rathangan. There was 16,000 people at this event, 19 excellent finalists here today and it gives me great encouragement to see such a line-up.”

(More coverage in next week’s issue. See A76 for Grand Prix report from Bannow.)