SHOWING CLASSES:SARAH ENNIS achieved a remarkable one-two-three in the five-year-old young event horse class in the main arena yesterday morning, riding husband Niki Potteron's Stellor King to win ahead of stable companions Courage Under Fire and BLM Diamond Delux.
The winner, the first horse to carry the "Stellor" prefix of the Batterstown couple's eventing yard, was bred in Tinahely by Yvonne Coe.
It is by the Irish Sport Horse sire Kings Master out of Tin Star, by I'm A Star.
James McEvoy from Co Down won the earlier four-year-old class on the SeáLyndon-bred Loughehoe Guy gelding, Watervalley Lockey Guy.
Due to the rain-sodden ground conditions, the two-year-olds were exhibited on the sand surface of ring 3 and much interest centred on the reappearance of the 2007 young horse champion, Flogas Rivermoy.
Tiernan Gill's Limerick bay won his lightweight geldings' class but could only finish reserve in the championship to the filly Shanbo Queen B.
Shown by Ger Murphy for Wexford exhibitor Frances Cleary, the home-bred bay is by the thoroughbred stallion Master Imp out of a Kildalton Gold mare.
The filly's full sister had earlier finished third in the four-year-old hunter mares section.
The three-year-olds enjoyed the more usual grass surface of ring 2 for their assessment, and here the champion was the lightweight geldings winner Bouncer, shown by Michael O'Callaghan for his father Vincent.
The judges were quick to award the Séamus Lehane-bred son of Ghareeb the title.
They took their time though to sort out the result of the class and it was little surprise to see the second there, Dessie Gibson's Ballycarrickmaddy, being called into the reserve slot.
The lightweight hunters had to contend with the very mucky conditions of ring 1 and, to much applause, the youngstock champion of 2006, Rosemary Connors's Woodfield Valier won the older mares' class.
Others heading into tomorrow's championship carrying red rosettes are Mike Lewis's Lorenzo (supreme hunter champion of 2004), John Conaty's Sugar Bob and PJ Hegarty's Fenyas Elegance.
Also through is Daphne Tierney and Jane Bradbury's Giorgio which had last year's supreme champion Double Take back in second spot.