JAYNE McGivern, a leader in the British construction industry who has interests in both the thoroughbred and sport horse worlds, is to donate £50,000 in prize money for a class for ex-racehorses which will be run at Cornbury House Horse Trials in 2025.

The announcement was made last week at Cornbury where McGivern stated: “I am thrilled to be able to launch a new ex-racehorse class that will run in 2025, and thank David Howden (president of Cornbury House Horse Trials) for his support in allowing my idea to come to fruition. Racing and eventing are both my passions and through this class we will be able to showcase the talent that thoroughbreds have in their second careers.”

The class will begin at CCI2*/Novice level with further details to be announced in due course.

McGivern, who breeds National Hunt horses at her Dash Grange Stud in Oxfordshire, has eventers with some of Britain’s top riders including Piggy March who is competing her Holstein stallion Halo in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim Palace this weekend. Last year, McGivern purchased the thoroughbred stallion Golden Horn to stand at one of Britain’s top NH studs, Overbury. The son of Cape Cross was champion three-year-old and horse of the year in 2015 when he won the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – all Group 1 races.

Supreme Dream

On the home front, last weekend’s winner of the Treo Eile prize for the top-placed thoroughbred at Eventing Ireland’s National Championships was Supreme Dream who, ridden by the Northern Region’s Holly Rice for her mother Julie, finished second on her dressage score in the 17-runner EI80 championship.

Bred in Britain by Ciaran Harris, Supreme Dream is a seven-year-old bay mare by Captain Gerrard – Sweet Lily Pea, by Hard Spun. She finished third once in 19 runs on the flat between August 2018 and February 2020 when trained first by Ollie Pears and then Shaun Harris. This was her first season to compete under EI rules.