The 150th Dublin Horse Show begins with five days of events
Kenneth Fox
The 150th Dublin Horse Show is underway at the RDS in Ballsbridge with five days of top class international featuring a prize fund of €1.4 million divided between 168 competitions.
It will see more than 1600 horses coming through the RDS during the week, attracting over 120,000 spectators and to mark the 150th anniversary of the RDS Dublin Horse Show, a special exhibition will be on display in the main concert hall throughout the duration of the show.
The action begins on Wednesday with the Minerva Stakes and Sport Ireland Classic being the opening day highlights in the main arena.
The Anglesea Speed Stake is among the features on Thursday, with the five-day RDS Dublin Horse Show also featuring a range of young horse classes in Showing, Eventing and Show Jumping, with potential purchasers expected from all over the globe in search of the next Irish-bred star.
Friday as ever is Aga Khan day at the RDS as eight of the worlds top teams battle in the Nations Cup of Ireland. Defending champions the USA will return in a bid to win the Aga Khan for the second year running, but will face tough competition from teams from Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, Switzerland and of course the home team from Ireland.
Irish team manager Michael Blake has named a squad that includes the experienced trio of Denis Lynch (Vistogrand), Cian O’Connor (Bentley De Sury) and Darragh Kenny (Eddy Blue), along with two of Ireland’s young Show Jumping stars – Tipperary’s Tom Wachman (Tobasco De Toxandria Z) and Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy with the Irish-bred ESI Rocky (ISH).
Looking ahead to Friday’s Aga Khan, which is part of the Rolex Series, Ireland’s most capped rider Cian O’Connor said: “The Nations Cup is always a huge event for us, especially on home soil,” he adds. “The Irish team is strong and motivated — we’re determined to retain the Nations Cup title in front of our home crowd.”
O’Connor also highlighted the impact of the Rolex Series on the sport. “The Rolex Series is undoubtedly the best events in the world. The shows are fantastic, the competition is world-class, and the prize money and following reflect its prestige. It’s an honor for Dublin to be part of this label, standing alongside the most legendary venues globally.”
Saturday is Puissance day the the RDS as horse and rider attempt to scale the big red wall, while the Dublin Horse Show finale on Sunday August 10th will be the Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland.