NOEL Cawley’s home-bred mare Laurina won the five-year-old Flexible National Championship in the Main Arena at the Dublin Horse Show on Sunday morning under Leah Stack.

By Stakkato Gold, she was bred by Cawley in Co Kildare out of his Grand Prix-winning mare Rincarina (Greg Broderick), who was also a winner in the RDS arena as a young horse.

It was a first championship win in the young horse division for 19-year-old Stack who rides at Greg Broderick’s Ballypatrick Stables.

She commented; “I’ve been riding her since last November, the end of her four-year-old year. She is really clever. She has gotten easier every day. She’s very straightforward and is very brave and careful.

“We are delighted with the result. I think I made up some time between the three final fences. I did seven strides up to the third last, and coming back to the last I took a stride out.

“I think she has lots of potential and talent and will be one for the bigger classes for sure. We’ll go to the Breeders’ Classic next weekend, and she’ll hopefully go to Lanaken for the Young Horse World Breeding Championships so hopefully we can continue to do well there.”

Some 16 combinations qualified over two days in Simmonscourt for the final in the main arena. Of these, 10 posted a clear first round to progress to the jump-off against the clock. Stack was pathfinder aboard her first mount, Greg Broderick’s BP Wonder (Vigo d’Arsouilles x VDL Arkansas). They left all the fences up and set the pace at 32.92 for eventual sixth place.

Second in, Darren Hopkins guided Ballywalter Stables’ Nana Della Caccia (Chacco Blue x Quaprice Bois Margot) to a second round clear in a slightly faster time of 32.56 for fourth place.

Stephen Holland and Dolores Hughes’ Smalltown Boy IV (Goodluck VDL x Chacoa) were third into the ring. They were going well until the final fence which they had down for four faults.

Margaret Fennell’s Greenhall Mullord (Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet x Cruising), ridden by Ciaran Moran, produced a clear against the clock, but in a more cautious time of 34.23 which would leave them just outside the placings in seventh.

Andrew Hughes’ Harley VDL stallion stallion Mendoza VDL, bred by the VDL Stud, was ridden to third place by Harry Wood when they lodged a solid clear in 32.52.

Tom Hearne was also clear aboard Tracey Gallagher’s Next Question (Orestus x Oklund) but a 34.35 time left them filling eighth place.

Another talented rider from the Broderick stable, Niamh McEvoy then rode GBBS Int Ltd’s home-bred BP Tiny Dancer (Plot Blue x Concorde) to a clear in 30.51 to take over the lead for the moment and eventually finish in the runner-up spot.

Another entire, Thlom Keane’s own Krafty Kracker (Ars Vivendi x Diamond Serpent) Keane had one fence down in 34.25 to finish ninth.

Carl Webb gave it a good try with Marion Hughes’ HHS Ice Flow (Leeman de Muze x Cyrano) and left all the fences standing but were just off the mark in 32.59 for fifth place.

Stack was last to go. Using her position to her best advantage, she knew where she could make up time with Laurina. She crossed the finish line in 30.45, just ahead of her stable mate McEvoy to secure the win and the title of five-year-old national champion for 2022.