CORRENA Bowe has taken the first step in her bid to improve on her second place finish at last year’s Dublin Horse Show, with her father J.J.’s Patrickswell Sherry.

Last Saturday, at the first of the 2023 qualifiers held at Forth Mountain, Bowe and the 2018 Cappa Amadeus gelding topped the scores in Section B of the four and five-year-old performance Irish Draught class on 239.5 points; securing the only ticket on offer in this division.

Patrickswell Sherry, who was bred near Ballinrobe by Noel Sheridan, is out of the Castana mare Springvale Countess.

Two tickets were awarded in Section A, where the winner was Sleehaun Master Mind (230 points), who was ridden by Edel Whyte for her father Gerry.

Whyte senior bred this five-year-old chesnut Beechmount Silver Crest gelding out of the Star Kingdom mare Orlcon Star. Both Whytes compete Sleehaun Master Mind in Show Jumping Ireland competitions.

Diarmuid Ryan, who has an excellent record in these classes, qualified in second with his own Clogher Commander (228.5). This five-year-old chesnut gelding by Scrapman was bred in Co Galway by Pat McGrath, out of Clogher Silvana (by Fast Silver).

There were 32 starters in the class for six-year-olds and upwards, with the top three securing their tickets for Dublin.

The winner was JMHillfield Double Diamond, who achieved a score of 238 points under Dean Farrell.

Bred in Co Cork by James Maye, out of the Welcome Diamond mare Corrin Diamond, this seven-year-old grey Rebel Mountain gelding has had three starts in EI90 (Amateur) classes this year, under his owner, Susanna Boxwell, winning on his most recent outing at Rosanna last month.

Katie Stafford finished second on her own Dennistown Prince Of Pride (236.5), who qualified for Dublin last season.

One of an increasing number of stallions in these performance classes, this seven-year-old Crosstown Pride chesnut, who has 18 SJI points, was bred in Co Wicklow by Andrew Waldron, out of Ballylusk Sunday Dawn (by Golden Trump).

Laura Snow, who won the older class at Dublin last August on Drynam Hero, finished third here on Colette Anhold’s grey gelding, Tilmans Hero (234.5).

This 11-year-old son of Clew Bay Bouncer was bred in Co Donegal by Valerie Davis, out of the Corran Ginger mare Cloughroe Lady Lucy.

Hannah Gordon narrowly failed to qualify on last year’s Dublin third, Liam Lynskey’s DS Ballagh Bouncer (234).