KICKING off the first of three young horse championship wins for Ballypatrick Stables at last week’s Dublin Horse Show was BP Lady Masterpiece who flashed her way to victory in Saturday afternoon’s Four-Year-Old Mo Chroi National Championship in the Simmonscourt Arena.

The stunning steel grey mare by Diamant de Semilly was one of three horses in the six-horse final that carried the ‘BP’ prefix of Greg Broderick’s successful producing stable – two of them home-bred - and she was ridden beautifully by 19-year-old Niamh McEvoy to win on a final combined score of 177, 10 points clear of the Ennisnag Stud-bred BP Othello, ridden by Michael Roche (167).

Dutch-based American show jumper, breeder and agent Alan Waldman had the esteemed job of judging the six finalists, assisted by British show jumper Robert Whitaker who rode all six in the second round. Each combination was judged out of 100 marks in the first round – 10 marks per fence, while in the second round, Whitaker then gave them a mark of 100 for future potential (50) and rideability (50).

With two qualified for the final, McEvoy was last to go with BP Lady Masterpiece, the well-related mare out of BP Masterpiece (Cruising) who counts 1.60m performer BP Wakita as a sibling, and was awarded a score of 84 after an impressive first round and was five points clear at the half way stage.

Under Whitaker, she was fresh and playful and showed off her ability once again, and was awarded a huge 93 points out of 100 for her future potential and rideability, ending on a total of 177.

Quick learner

Commenting on the win, Niamh McEvoy, who was competing in the class for the very first time, said: “She is a special mare. I only started riding her before the qualifier in Mullingar; she has a great temperament and so much scope. She was quite green at the qualifier but she learned so quick and she has so much jump.

“We knew going to Dublin she would be competitive and it all came together on the day. She has so much blood; a lot of the other four-year-olds were starting to empty by the third day but I could feel she was only getting going. The last round was her best round and that is the sign of a really good horse. Rob [Whitaker] loved the mare, he thinks she has a really big future ahead of her.”

Talking about future plans for the mare, McEvoy added: “She has a big future, so hopefully Greg might plan to keep her for a few years, he is very excited by her and will make a plan now so I am not 100% sure that will be. It was amazing for Cheryl [Broderick] to have bred two horses in the final, she puts so much work into the breeding.”

Second-placed BP Othello is a graduate of the Ballypatrick Auction last year. Owned by Michael and Fiona Roche, the chesnut gelding by Ganesh Hero Z out of a Typo mare was ridden beautifully in both rounds, scoring 79 and 88, to take the reserve champion spot.

Daniel McAlinden rode A Class Sport Horses’ Vivant van de Heffinck’s gelding Knockane Bellicose Bay to third place on a final score of 164. The bay was bred by Michael J Hogan out of the Lux Z mare Cruisings Lux Hill. In fourth was Carl Webb riding Marion Hughes’ ABC Kaytee Flamenco (Je T’Aime Flamenco x Mermus R), bred by Patrick Kehoe. They finish on a score of 160.

McEvoy guided her second mount, Gary and Leslie Hazelwood’s BP Lucky Clover (Mylord Carthago x Captain Clover), bred by GBBS Int Ltd and Liam Cleary, to fifth place (158.5), ahead of Vincent Byrne in sixth with his own Edentrillick Special Edition (I’m Special de Muze x Numero Uno), bred by William Greene. The pair knocked a fence in the first round and finished on 155.