Waterford rider Mark O'Sullivan scooped his biggest Irish win of the year yesterday when taking the prestigious Rockbarton Championship (seven-year-old and over) on the final day of the Kerrygold Horse Show with Billy Daly's eight-year-old stallion, Newmarket Jewel.
As one of 12 clears through from the first round, O'Sullivan and his double Italian winner came back as third-last to go and clocked up a time of 39.39 seconds with nothing to add to take the class from long-time leaders Paul O'Shea and Liffey Valley.
All the national championships were equally keenly fought over the final two days, but the most exciting action was witnessed on Saturday as the Grade A final got under way in the main arena. Only three had made it through to the jump-off on this occasion, but it was Lieut Shane Carey, winner of a qualifier earlier in the week, who stormed to victory with the 12-year-old Shannondale for the John Higgins Memorial Perpetual Trophy.
Cavan rider Neal Fearon, who rode Ard Cherrymount Stud's Ard VDL Douglas to win the first qualifier for the four-year-old championship, scored a fantastic double over the weekend when netting the four-year-old final with the Dutch-bred stallion on Saturday and then returning to bank yesterday's six-year-old equivalent with Ioltaira Queen.
Having scored a convincing win of the four-year-olds with the giant bay, ahead of Conor Swail and John Rea's Cruising gelding Comer Cruise, Fearon was well and truly on his winning roll and hot favourite to take yesterday's Bellevue final with the French-bred Ioltaira Queen.
Owned by a syndicate, including Northerner Alan Robertson, the classy daughter of Voltaire jumped the only double clear of the class for victory, adding to her impressive list of wins clocked up at Balmoral and Mullingar already this year.
While clear rounds were rather scarce in yesterday's six-year-old final, the following Sportsman five-year-old decider was very much the opposite as 14 of the original 16 starters made little of the opening round to guarantee their places in the jump-off.
Francis Connors set the pathfinding pace with Fran Mangan's Auto Cruz in a time of 40.67 seconds, but Roddy Dean was quick to make his move when clear with Anthony Smyth's Shanroe Spirit in 38.48.