Richard Iggulden claimed his first Dublin supreme hunter championship when he steered Yvonne Pearson's Magnifire to take the Bewleys Hotels honours in the RDS main arena yesterday morning.
The Co Down showman had ridden the four-year-old to take the Balmoral honours in Belfast back in May and went all the way again yesterday, claiming the mediumweight title, the four-year-old championship and the supreme.
Magnifire, which is by the thoroughbred sire Tasset, was bred in Wexford by Rosemary Skrine. The imposing bay behaved impeccably throughout, but his closest rival, Susan Fitzpatrick's lightweight champion, Azarax, became unsettled when his saddle slipped in the final judging. The upset meant that the home-bred Chacoa gelding lost its chance of a crack at the supreme, but it did get the nod for the reserve ribbon for jockey Jane Bradbury.
Big winner in Saturday's young horse classes was Rosemary Connors's Woodfield Valier, which made a clean sweep of the four championships on offer. Bred by the owner's father, Nick Connors, in Co Waterford, Woodfield Valier was shown by Clodagh Connors to take the filly championship, the three-year-old title, the best exhibitor-bred entry and finally the overall supreme championship.