This year’s Dublin Horse Show has been replaced by the RDS National Championships, which take place from this Friday to Sunday.
The event is not open to the public and there are no international competitors but there is good prize money to be won and a lot of horses will increase in value for having competed at such a prestigious venue. All classes are being streamed live on the RDS website.
A total of 24 horses will contest the four-year-old championship
Arguably the highlight of the three-day show will be the show jumping finals for young horses – the four-year-olds go on Saturday evening and those aged from five to nine have their finals on Sunday, all of them in the main arena.
A total of 24 horses will contest the four-year-old championship. They qualified at events held in The Meadows, Mullingar Equestrian and in Barnadown from May to July and they will be judged as normal and awarded scores for future potential, rideability, jumping technique and natural ability.
The final six horses with the highest scores from round one will then be ridden by an international rider before the judges decide the winner.
This class would normally be staged next door in the Simmonscourt arena, and it will test these young horses to jump in the main arena.
Another tipped to do well in this class is the gelding Liscarrow Sinatra
There are 38 qualifiers for the five-year-old championship early on Sunday and they include some very exciting prospects. Keep an eye out for Go Lightly, who won her qualifier at The Meadows and will be ridden by part-owner Greg Broderick.
Another tipped to do well in this class is the gelding Liscarrow Sinatra, who defeated 70 rivals to win at Mullingar for Francie Derwin.
Go Lightly’s year-older sibling Lissadell is expected to show prominently in the six-year-old final, having won at The Meadows. There are 38 horses in this section and they include Luicruz, who won the qualifier in Mullingar, and Whitetree Endeavour, a winner at Barnadown in Wexford.
On Sunday afternoon 27 horses will contest the seven-year-old championship, and there are 30 combinations qualified for the eight- and nine-year-old final.
rds.ie
Friday 20 August
Main arena
09.00-10.20 – 148cm six & seven-year-old ponies
10.50-12.15 – 148cm ponies
12.45-14.05 – 138cm ponies
14.40-16.40 – 128cm ponies-final
17.10-18.05 – Children on horses
International Warm-Up Arena
17.30-19.30 – Three-Year-Old Potential Event Horse
17.30-19.15 – Class 61
19.15-19.30 – Cup 152
Saturday 21 August
Main arena
09.00-10.35 – Amateurs-final
11.05-12.10 – Young riders (1.10m-1.15m) final
12.40-13.45 – Young riders (1.25m-1.30m) final
14.15-15.10 – Young riders (1.35m-1.40m) final
15.40-17.05 – Four-year-olds final
International Warm-Up Arena
17.30-19.30 – Three-Year-Old Loose Performance
17.30-19.15 – Section A and Cup 59
19.15-19.30 – Section B and Cup 27
Sunday 22 August
Main arena
09.00-10.50 – Five-year-olds final
11.25-13.15 – Six-year-olds final
13.50-15.20 – Seven-year-olds final
15.55-17.25 – Eight and nine-year-olds final