VINCENT Byrne guided CBI Bella Donna to victory in last Sunday’s feature class, 1.40m National Grand Prix in The Meadows.

Owned by Kayleigh Soden from Leggettsrath Stables in Co Kilkenny, the mare was bred by Aidan Carroll.

By Zapatero VDL out of CSF Lulu, by Luidam, the nine-year-old mare has an impressive competition record. She won the National Championships at the Dublin Horse Show as a six-year-old in 2021, and represented Ireland at the young horse world championships in Lanaken that same year.

Covid disrupted a lot of her year in 2022, although she did place in several Irish Sport Horse studbook classes as a seven-year-old.

In 2023, her owners gave her some time out to concentrate on collecting embryos from her, and in June 2024 are expecting a foal by Andiamo Semilly.

She came back into work during last winter and, after a few successful Spring Tour shows, made it back to winning ways at The Meadows on Sunday.

Speaking after the class, Byrne told The Irish Field: “Since she has come back into work, I have found that she has really strengthened up. She finds it a lot easier now. Her body has had time to develop, it’s made a big difference to her.

“She has a lot of scope and she is very careful. She has proven over the years that she can also be competitive against the clock.

“Yesterday, the jump-off track suited her. She has a big stride so that worked in her favour. We did eight strides from fence one to two in the jump-off, after that every distance just came off well. I did six strides in the line after the double and that set me up well for the second last vertical.

“We were in a good rhythm and I can trust her not to have to take a pull, and she does want to be careful; now that she’s that bit stronger, you can trust her more.

“The plan now is to follow the National Grand Prix League and hopefully have her step up to the Premier Series.”

Strong field

A starting field of 39 lined out for the Aaron McCusker-designed track at the Armagh venue. Of these, just seven managed to produce a double clear round.

Bryne set the pace as first to go in the timed decider, with a clear round in the only sub-40 second time of the day in 39.19.

Jonathan Smyth and Noletta Smyth and Roy Craig’s Mulvin Lights Out (Kroongraaf x Diamond Serpent) came closest to catching them, breaking the finish beams in 40.81 for the runner-up spot.

The Minister For Defence’s Hawthorn Hill (Cardento x Limmerick), bred by Jerry Quinn, was ridden into third place by Captain James Whyte in 40.91.

Derek McConnell guided Sorcha Hennessy’s Inlaws Manolo (Corland x Lord Z) into fourth in 42.44, while Brendan Murphy rode Linda Courtney’s LCC Bond (Ars Vivendi x O.B.O.S. Quality) to take fifth.

Junior Camryn Clarke and his mother Victoria’s Conto De Reve (Hermes De Reve x Conto) finished in sixth.

Coverage of the second leg of the DAFM show jumping series, which was also held at The Meadows last weekend, appears on page 93 and the joint winners are listed in full in the results section.