Three of Ireland’s four-man Nations’ Cup showjumping squad stamped their mark on the opening day of the Dublin Horse Show by occupying the first three places of the Avery Crest Ski Chalets Speed Stakes.

Cian O’Connor on the bay Holstein stallion Aramis 573 was the swiftest to win in 51.92 seconds.Earlier Strabane international rider Peter Smyth won the six-year-old Horse Sport Ireland class in the main arena.

Pony qualifier

Athlone pony rider Francis Derwin junior, whose father Jim is competing in the eight- year-old international class this year, was the winner of the 128cm pony qualifier with Buachaill Baire.

PJ Casey from Stamullen, Co Meath, dominated the showing section on the opening day of the show, landing the riding horse and small hunter championships.

In claiming the former title, Casey won with Spellbound, a four-year-old gelding by the Irish Sport Horse stallion Chillout with which he also won the large riding horse class. He had earlier claimed the “small” class on another four-year-old gelding, Merrycorner Mister Bui.

Alicia Devlin Byrne won the performance Irish draught championship on her 10-year-old Welcome Flagmount gelding King Flagmount, winner of the six-year-old and upwards class.

Avery Crest Speed Stakes

1 Cian O’Connor (IRE) Aramis 573 0-51.92; 2 Bertram Allen (IRE) Quiet Easy 4 0- 52.51; 3 Greg Patrick Broderick (IRE) Zuidam 0-52.68

Horse Sport Ireland six-year-olds
1 Peter Smyth, Templepatrick Welcome Limerick, 0-0 41.73; 2 Ger O'Neill, Killossery Kaiden 0-0 42.70; 3 Emily Turkington, Quantify 0-0 42.89