DUBLIN’s showrings are the hill that many exhibitors hopes end on and the three-year-old classes, which continued later on Thursday afternoon, were no exception.

Some strongly-fancied winners from throughout the summer lined out, including John Burchill’s Ballard Highway Lad (Another Pleasure), this year’s All-Ireland three-year-old champion at Bannow and Rathangan.

Another was Brendan Newell’s home-bred of six generations - Kilcahill Ruby - with her string of All-Ireland, Balmoral and Dublin titles and, most recently, that big Brian Boru win at Clarecastle.

Two important premises of showing, though, are that each class and championship starts from Ground Zero, and it is the next judge(s) choice that decides the latest ribbons.

Ballard Highway Lad was the first surprise for the ringside onlookers, finishing third in the opening middle/heavyweight gelding class. The winner here was Julie Radden’s MGH Riddon Ridge (Diarado), bred by Olympic eventer Padraig McCarthy. Taking the blue ribbon, from 10 entries, was Hugh Douglas and John Perry’s Rock Noir (Diamond Roller).

There was just one additional entry in the following class, bringing the number of lightweight gelding candidates to 11 - the days of front, back and even third lines in this class, traditionally the ‘selling class’, appear to be over.

Another tradition is how this class can often produce the eventual supreme champion and it proved to be the case again when Regina Daly’s Timpany Tiger Two (Tiger Attack) stood top of the quality line-up. Next in line was multiple Laidlaw Cup-winning owner Dessie Gibson, this time with his Cushlas Lord Dancer (Udancer Hero), shown by David Alcorn.

Tim O’Leary had started the Skibbereen winning streak in the yearlings, followed by John Burchill in the two-year-olds and John’s sister Regina then completed a treble for the West Cork town.

The final of Thursday’s young horse classes was for three-year-old fillies and, flying the flag for the all-conquering Mayo county, was Anthony Gill’s home-bred Glen Candy (Sligo Candy Boy). Second in this class was Melissa Gallintane’s filly Leestone O Terribly Lovely (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve).

Champion

Timpany Tiger Two, back in Ring 1 where he was shown as a foal for breeder Paula Howard, duly won the Anthony Maude Cup for the three-year-old champion, with the reserve being the first winner of the day: Julie Radden’s MGH Riddon Ridge.

With the two and three-year-old classes now shrunk down to the age champions, the Laidlaw Cup contenders were starting to take shape (see opposite page).

Undoubtedly, there were disappointed exhibitors in the wake of last week’s results, as with every year, and the inevitable debate of whether Dublin is becoming a performance championship instead of a Horse Show?

The standout quote, from the Ring 1 classes, has to be from that most sporting of exhibitors, Brendan Newell, whose son Matthew tuned into the Dublin results from Oregon, where he was competing at the World Road Walking Championships.

“Water off a duck’s back [his unplaced Kilcahill Ruby], there’s always another day,” he said with a smile.