Action stations as Gibson discovers Treasure Island

DESSIE GIBSON rarely goes home from the Dublin Horse Show without a sash or two, and this year he secured a clean sweep of the young horse titles with the brace of two-year-old geldings, Greenhall Treasure Island and Action Man.

Also a winner of the yearling class for colts and geldings with the Sligo Candy Boy gelding Aidensfield Candy King, the Co Down producer overcame strong competition in the end to take both the champion and reserve champion sashes for the Laidlaw Cup for the very first time.

“I think I’ve won the Laidlaw about seven times before as an exhibitor, and I’ve also bred a winner or two, but this is my first time to win both the championship and reserve titles here,” he said, having also picked up the leading exhibitor and traditionally-bred horse accolades during the week.

Earlier this year he achieved the same feat in the young horse championship at Balmoral with Legacy and Action Man. Legacy was subsequently sold to the UK and Action Man is following the same route having been purchased by Steve Pitt.

“We’ve had a lot of enquiries but nothing is definite,” he said in relation to the sale of Greenhall Treasure Island, who was competing in only his second show for 2018.

“Aidensfield Candy King will be retained for the moment as he comes from a great family which includes the 2017 Dublin winner Seaburg.”

Reserve champion Action Man, winner of his lightweight two-year-old class, is by the Selle Francais Harlequin Du Carel. He was bred in Co Clare by Thomas Minogue and picked up as a foal in Goresbridge.

Greenhall Treasure Island, meanwhile, was spotted competing at Bannow/Rathangan Show the same year and later purchased from his breeder Derry Rothwell.

Not surprisingly the champion comes from a long line of winners at the RDS. By the thoroughbred Island Commander, his dam Greenhall Diamond Lady traces back to Greenhall Cailin Deas, winner of the Breeders’ Championship in 1998. Greenhall Cailin Deas is also the dam of Millennium Cruise, winner of the same Breeders’ title in 2011.

As usual the three-year-old divisions were hotly-contested and topping his lightweight geldings’ class before landing the three-year-old championship and also the Pembroke Cup, was the Brennans’ homebred son of Quidam Junior I, MHS Morning Master.

Standing reserve in the threeyear-old championship was John and Dora Tyner’s Orestus gelding Bullseye, a recent winner of the Bannow/Rathangan three-year-old title. Margaret Jeffares picked up the filly championship and reserve in the Pembroke Cup — for the best home-bred — for the second year in succession with Ballykelly Eva.