Irish riders dominated the international show jumping action at the RDS on Wednesday, the opening day of the 2018 Stena Line Dublin Horse Show.
In the afternoon's featured Sport Ireland Classic, 19 riders and horses progressed to the second round where half of the 10 who recorded a double clear represented this country.
Fastest among them was Co Offaly's Darragh Kenny who stopped the clock on 35.83 with Ann Thompson's Balou du Reventon.
Co Louth native Mark McAuley finished second on Eva Lundin's Miebello (36.46) with Steve Guerdat riding Hannah (37.11) slotting into third for Switzerland.
It was a case of third time lucky for Kenny as he had filled the runner-up position in the two earlier international classes.
Riding Thompson's Cassini Z in the Dublin Airport Central Minerva Stakes, a 1.45m speed competition, Kenny broke the beam in 54.95 as Cork's Billy Twomey took the honours in 54.46 with Joe Flynn's home-bred Irish Sport Horse stallion Ardcolum Duke.
In the first international class of the show, the Alpes d'Or speed stakes, where Irish riders filled the first seven places, Kenny and Whiterock Farm's Billy Manjaro were home clear in 51.82, just behind Derry's Daniel Coyle on Ariel Grange's Tienna (51.48).
Two national competitions bookended the action in the Main Arena on day one, Co Meath’s Gerard Clarke landing the Horse Sport Ireland six-year-old qualifier on his own King Lupin (by Lux Z) while north Co Dublin’s Matt Garrigan, riding his father Martin’s Contino 56, claimed the 1.40m young riders’ jump-off class with the only double clear.
In the outside show rings, the six-year-old stallion Gortfree Lakeside Lad, ridden for owner and breeder Sean Barker by Linda Murphy, repeated his victory of last year in the performance Irish Draught championship.
Rosemarie Ahern O’Gorman partnered Fiona Leahy’s eight-year-old mare Totally Dun to land the Crescent Electrical Services riding horse title and Johnny Stafford’s home-bred four-year-old gelding Major Malone claimed the Thorntons Recycling small hunter championship under Nicola Perrin.
While the bulk of the Berney Bros Saddlery Connemara classes take place on Thursday, two performance hunter championships were held on day one, Lisa Murphy winning the five to seven-year-old section on board David Harrison's Legend's Mate while, on their fourth attempt, a delighted Alicia Devlin Byrne landed the older pony class with Michael and Theresa Clarke's Grey Smoke.
