The Show, now its 148th year, will runs from today, Wednesday until Sunday evening.

The highlight of the five-day show sill be the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup for the award of the Aga Khan Trophy on Friday afternoon.

Michael Blake’s Irish team will bid to successfully defend the trophy which they won last year.

The first International competition in the Main Arena, the Speed Stakes, will get underway this morning at 11.25am.

There will be also be action throughout the week in Simmonscourt, Ring 1 and Ring 2.

Further information can be found on the Dublin Horse Show website.

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The Irish Show Jumping team will bid to defend the title they won at the RDS last year. This season, Ireland has placed second last week’s five-star Nations Cup in Hickstead, and earlier in the season achieved wins in Rome and Langley, Canada.

Speaking ahead of the Dublin Horse Show, which begins on Wednesday and runs until Sunday, Michael Blake said:

“We have had a very good year so far. We bring forward a very strong squad, who have displayed excellent Nations Cup form this year. There are some strong teams for this year’s renewal of the Aga Khan Trophy, but I am confident that we have an equally strong team. We have the added advantage of the amazing support from the home fans.

The squad in alphabetical order is:

• Daniel Coyle riding Legacy, owned by Ariel Grange and Daniel Coyle.
• Michael P Duffy riding Cinca 3, owned by Hibernian Sport Horses Ltd.
• Cian O’Connor riding Eve D’ouilly, owned by Nicole Walker.
• Michael Pender riding HHS Calais, owned by Bravo Hughes Ltd.
• Shane Sweetnam riding James Kann Cruz, owned by Gizmo Partners LLC.

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The visitor denied two of Ireland’s Aga Khan Trophy-winning combinations from Friday, Conor Swail with Count Me In and Shane Sweetnam with the Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz as they filled second and third places respectively.

Ireland’s Andrew Bourns and the Irish Sport Horse Sea Topblue were fourth while French combination Megane Moissonnier and Cordial were fifth.

Ireland’s Rhys Williams and the 7-year-old Playboy JT Z took the International 7 & 8 year-old competition. Tipperary’s Denis Lynch with Dark Chocolate took the runner-up spot, while Jason Higgins and Heritage MBF came third.

Kildare’s Mikey Pender achieved yet another RDS win on Sunday when winning the six-year-old ‘Cruising’ National Championship with HHS Rose. Leah Stack and Laurina won the 5-Year-Old ‘Flexible’ National Championship.

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Riding the 15-year-old stallion Hearton Du Bois Halleux, Pender took his fourth five-star win of this year’s Dublin Horse Show.

Pender and Hearton Du Bois Halleux were the only combination to clear the wall in the fifth round, when it stood at a height of 2m20 (7ft 2 inches).

Daniel Coyle with Just Happy Hero Z and Commandant Geoff Curran with the Irish Sport Horse Bishops Quarter shared second place. Both combinations picked up four faults in the last round of the competition.

Tipperary rider Trevor Breen and Germaine W took the 1m50 Dublin Stakes, going clear in 36.00 seconds in the jump-off.

Mark McAuley and Jasco Vd Bisschop took second place in 36.23 seconds, while third place went to French rider Megane Moissonnier and Bracadabra in 36.35 seconds.

Richard Howley and Chinook won the Royal Dublin Society Stakes. Jordan Coyle and Picador finished as runners-up while third place went to Brazil’s Yuri Mansur and Away Semilly.

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Swail and Count Me In jumped three clear rounds during the competition proper and the jump-off that following to give the home side a first victory in the competition since 2015.

“This is my first time (winning) also like Shane (Sweetnam). This is my third Aga Khan,” Swail explained. “It’s fantastic. As an Irish rider it’s something that is a lifetime goal – thankfully I have achieved that. The horse (Count Me In) has jumped like that all year – it was no surprise whatsoever – he is so fast.”

Ireland team manager Michael Blake quipped “it has not been a bad six days” referring to Friday’s victory and Ireland qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games earlier this week.

The Clare man explained that he was very confident coming into today’s Longines Nations Cup of Ireland:

“Coming here I thought we had a very very good chance – I felt it was ours to lose. We started off really really well and then had a few uncharacteristic mistakes. There was a little pressure on us. Conor (Swail) was just amazing. He asked me could he be on the Aga Khan team earlier in the year.”

Kanturk, Co Cork-native Shane Sweetnam who jumped clear with The Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz in the first round, said:

“He jumped special in the first round, especially when it was raining – he knew he was home! Then in the second round, a little mistake – obviously I made it myself.”

For the US-based rider, it was also a first Aga Khan win:

“It’s great to win. This was my fourth Aga Khan and it has always been a dream to win The Aga Khan, so I’m thrilled, thrilled with the horse and thrilled with my team members.”

It was certainly a dream come true for eighteen-year-old Tipperary rider Max Wachman, winning his first Aga Khan Trophy in his first outing in the Longines Nations Cup of Ireland.

“It’s a dream come true,” Wachman said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was about ten years old. To be on a team with such brilliant riders is amazing. I’m just thrilled. He (Berlux Z) is eleven years old, he’s a very experienced horse and he’s a good horse and he jumped good today.”

The presentation – @PresidentIrl presents the Aga Khan trophy to Ireland's Chef d'Equipe Michael Blake at the @DublinHorseShow #rtesport pic.twitter.com/EbcNhaNqcg

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 19, 2022

Meath’s Cian O’Connor, Ireland’s anchor leg rider yet again, spoke highly during the winners’ press conference about his Irish Sport Horse Kilkenny.

“I was thrilled with him. I couldn’t be happier. It’s like when the bell goes and you head down to the first fence on a big rhythm and it just feels like he owns the ring. All I have to do is not get in his way and not make a mistake. It was really just good fun riding him around there.”

Winning The Aga Khan Perpetual Trophy is always special for all Irish riders. Team manager Michael Blake best summed up what winning the home Nations Cup means in front of the RDS crowd:

“The crowd so understand the sport and it means so much to them, and it means so much to us. We win plenty Nations Cup but this is an extra stratosphere.”

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The Michael Blake-managed team produced six clear rounds, including three from Conor Swail and Count Me In to lift the famous equestrian cup for the first time since 2015.

In the seven-nation event, Ireland had been drawn sixth to jump, with Swail and Count Me In operating as pathfinders for the side.

In an exciting opening round, Blake’s side produced three clear rounds, from Swail (Count Me In), Shane Sweetnam (James Kann Cruz) and Cian O’Connor (Kilkenny).

The other member of the team, eighteen-year-old Max Wachman riding Berlux Z, had just one fence down in the first round.

Ireland ended the opening round on a zero score, followed by France and Switzerland on four faults each respectively.

Marc Dilasser (Aristo Du Gevres) and Edward Levy (Uno De Cerisy) produced clear rounds for Henk Nooren’s side, while Steve Guerdat (Dynamix De Belheme) and Martin Fuchs (Cardano CH) did likewise for the Swiss.

Netherlands and Belgium were next after round one, each on 12 faults, while USA and Norway (who were competing in The Aga Khan Trophy for the first time) each recorded scores of 20 opening round faults.

Second Round

France began round 2 with three clear rounds and with two of the first three Swiss riders both faulting at the water, France would finish on a worst-possible score of 4 faults.

Count Me In and Conor Swail went clear in round two while Max Wachman had the final part of the treble down.

Just as Cork rider Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz looked to be heading for a double clear round, a pole fell at the last, meaning Ireland would need their anchor leg combination of Cian O’Connor and Kilkenny to go clear in order to force a jump-off with the French.

The Irish combination duly obliged in order to force a jump-off over a shorter course.

Massive clear round from Cian O'Connor to send Ireland to a jump-off against France for the Aga Khan trophy at the @DublinHorseShow
https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/pWMtHbNq2y

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 19, 2022

Both Ireland and France opted for their original pathfinders, Conor Swail and Marc Dilasser, to contest the jump-off, as both had produced double-clear rounds during the competition.

With Dilasser and Aristo Du Gevres going clear in a time of 31.81 seconds, the pressure was now on the Irish combination, not alone to go clear, but to do so in a faster time.

Conor Swail and Count Me In beat the French time in the jump-off to deliver the Aga Khan Trophy to Ireland @RDS @DublinHorseShow
https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/xYuiDgHPtk

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 19, 2022

Swail and Count Me In produced their third clear round of the competition, just as the French combination had moments earlier, but the Irish representatives went clear in a faster time of 30.31 seconds, winning the Longines Nations Cup of Ireland for The Aga Khan Perpetual Trophy for the home nation.

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The Irish team, managed by Clare’s Michael Blake, has been drawn second last to jump in the seven-team competition with round one getting underway at 3pm. The second round will begin at 4.30pm.

USA will be the first team to enter the Main Arena at the RDS, followed by Norway, Brazil, Netherlands, France, Ireland and Switzerland.

Team Ireland will jump in the following order:

Down’s Conor Swail with Count Me In will be the pathfinders for Michael Blake’s side.

Tipperary’s Max Wachman with Coolmore Showjumping’s Berlux Z will be the next Irish combination into the Main Arena.

The penultimate combination will be US-based Corkman Shane Sweetnam with The Irish Sport Horse James Kann Kruz.

Former Olympic medallist, Meath’s Cian O’Connor, will take the anchor leg for Ireland with another Irish Sport Horse, Kilkenny.

Ireland will be among five teams competing for Longines Nations Cup points in the RDS Main Arena tomorrow.

Dublin is also a scoring event for France, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. USA and Brazil will also field a team but will not be eligible for points.

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Pender, partnering the Marion Hughes-owned and bred mare Irish Sport Horse HHS Fortune, won The Speed Derby for the award of the Paul Darragh Perpetual Memorial Trophy. The winning combination were two second ahead of Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy with Aconzina PS. Trevor Breen took third spot with Gonzalo in a class where Ireland filled the first five places.

The Anglesea Stakes went to Egyptian Nayel Nassar with Coronado. Ireland’s anchor in Friday’s Longines Nations Cup of Ireland, Cian O’Connor, finished as runner-up with his World Championship mount C Vier 2.

The combination were just over half a second behind the winner in the 14-horse jump-off, where nine of the jump-off combinations were representing Ireland. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat finished third with Albfuehren’s Maddox.

Tomorrow’s, and the week’s highlight, is the Longines Nations Cup of Ireland for the award of the Aga Khan Perpetual Trophy.

Details on Ireland’s Nations Cup team can be found here.

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The Irish team, managed by Michael Blake, has been drawn second last to jump in the seven-team competition.

USA will be the first team to enter the Main Arena at the RDS, followed by Norway, Brazil, Netherlands, France, Ireland and Switzerland.

Team Ireland will jump in the following order:

Down’s Conor Swail with Count Me In will be the pathfinders for the home side.

Tipperary’s Max Wachman with Coolmore Showjumping’s Berlux Z will be the next Irish combination into the Main Arena.

The penultimate combination will be US-based Corkman Shane Sweetnam with The Irish Sport Horse James Kann Kruz.

Former Olympic medallist, Meath’s Cian O’Connor, will take the anchor leg for Michael Blake’s team with another Irish Sport Horse, Kilkenny.

Ireland will be among five teams competing for Longines Nations Cup points in the RDS Main Arena tomorrow.

Dublin is also a scoring event for France, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. USA and Brazil will also field a team but will not be eligible for points.

The Longines Nations Cup of Ireland gets underway at 3pm on Friday.

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The Speed Derby, sponsored by Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge will get the main international action underway in the 29 combination event at 1.25pm this afternoon.

The Thursday feature, The Anglesea Stakes, has an entry of 52 combinations. This class begins at 3.30pm.

The highlight of the week’s action at the Dublin Horse Show is Friday’s Longines Nations Cup of Ireland for the award of the Aga Khan Perpetual Trophy.

Details of the draw for tomorrow’s Nations Cup of Ireland can be found here.

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