GRACE Maxwell Murphy and husband William McMahon had more reason to celebrate after their big success at the Dublin Horse Show last week when their supreme champion show hunter Gleann Rua Da Vinci was sold to well-known English owner Jill Day for leading producer Robert Walker to ride.

Under McMahon, the home-bred by Camilla VDL won Saturday morning’s championship in the main arena (see report on page 89) and a deal was later struck with Day and Walker, who won the Horse of the Year Supreme Championship in 2021 with another Irish-bred, View Point, bred by Clare’s Sean Jones.

Grace confirmed the news, saying: “Jill Day bought him for Rob Walker to produce. It’s great, we are thrilled he is going to that yard because we know he will get great exposure with Rob.”

Speaking to The Irish Field, Robert Walker, who was in Dublin from Wednesday to Friday, said he is very excited to get acquainted with the horse. “My first time seeing him in the flesh was in the collecting ring. I thought he had great rhythm, great limbs and just ticked every box that a middleweight is supposed to. I made a little enquiry about him, I wasn’t sure if they wanted to sell him, but we went from there and I am very excited.

“For a seven-year-old, he has quite low mileage so once the journey over and the change of home doesn’t affect him too much, the plan is to get out to a few shows before the end of the season. I am hoping he will land like a new pin and be ready to go!”

Da Vinci was the only horse purchased by the Walker/Day team in Dublin. Speaking about Day’s love of the Irish horse, Walker added: “Irish breeders would miss her greatly! She just loves the Irish horses.”

Daphne Tierney’s Dublin youngstock champion, Bloomfield Watergate, has been sold to Brendan Furlong a Co Wexford-born veterinary surgeon who lives in New Jersey.

The deal was done pre-Dublin but the horse, for the moment, remains in producer Jane Bradbury’s care.

There are a number of other ‘deals’ almost over the line following the show, including some promising young show jumping horses and breeding stallions.