THE Robin Des Pres gelding Double Sixteen, who ran four times last summer when trained by Prunella Dobbs, was crowned the NutriScience thoroughbred event horse champion as the Stepping Stones to Success League concluded at Wexford Equestrian on Tuesday.

The competition, which is open to both raced and unraced thoroughbreds, received additional support this year from organisations, firms and individuals such as the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Caoimhe Doherty, the Racing Post, Tom Howley Equine, Labstock MicroServices Ltd and Godolphin.

A group of trainers comprising Denis Hickey, Henry de Bromhead, Colin Bowe, Paul Nolan, David Marnane and Pierce Power also supported the league (bringing the prize-fund up to €3,000) while the Irish Horse Welfare Trust offered a €250 bonus to the highest-placed raced horse which Mark Walsh and Leila Barker, owner and rider of Double Sixteen, were delighted to receive. They were also presented with the William Codd perpetual trophy.

Walsh purchased the now five-year-old when he worked for Dobbs last year as the gelding was jumping too high and therefore losing time in his races.

“Mark, who is my boyfriend, thought the horse would make a good eventer and he is really taking well to his new career,” said Baker who runs her own schooling and eventing yard in Enniskerry.

“I gave him two runs in the 90cms classes at the Lisgarvan House and Frankfort Stud one-day events before the Stepping Stones series began and he has improved each week at Wexford Equestrian. I’d hope to move him up to Pre-Novice eventing now. Mark bought the horse to sell on but I’d be happy to hold on to him until next year. I find thoroughbreds to be very trainable and I’d be happy to have more of them.”

The 2020 NutriScience champion was bred by Mrs L. Mohammed and is the only runner to date out of the Fruits Of Love mare Azaria whose three-year-old by Ask comes up as Lot 19 at Tattersalls Ireland next Thursday. This is the family of the Grade 2 hurdle winners Afsoun (who was third in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle) and Agrapart.

Double Sixteen, who won Tuesday’s concluding round of the series which offered points and a half, claimed the league title on 31 points while horses owned by Wexford-based Victoire Von Schoen finished second and third. The Patrick Whelan-ridden ‘Elliott’, an unraced four-year-old by Libertarian out of a Royal Anthem mare, filled the runner-up slot on 29.5, with David Richard third on the US-bred Don Pedro (27 points), a six-year-old by Congrats who ran four times on the flat.

Elusive

Clear rounds over the usual mixture of show jumps and cross-country fences proved elusive on Tuesday with Double Sixteen recording one of only two to complete on his Anne Marie Dunphy-awarded dressage score of 34.8 penalties.

Point-to-point and event rider Commandant Terence White also produced a clear round on the homebred mare Garrybritt Suzie to finish second on 38.2. This five-year-old by September Storm, who is out of the dual point-to-point winner Pennybar (by Zaffaran), was registered with Weatherbys as a foal but her name is currently just registered on Horse Sport Ireland’s Irish Horse Register.

With two fences down for a penalty score of 39, Claire Farrell finished third on the French-bred Renneti who won five times on the flat and three times over hurdles.

Six of those victories came when the 11-year-old Irish Wells gelding was in the care of Willie Mullins, a former sponsor of this league.

Tuesday’s final was attended by former jockey Padge Whelan who is European sales manager for the league’s title sponsor NutriScience.

Thoroughbred Power

ONE rider who has had a lot of success eventing thoroughbreds is Co Meath’s Elizabeth Power who won the highest-rated class, the CCI4*-S, at last week’s Kilguilkey House international horse trials near Mallow on the French-bred Soladoun.

Now 13, the Madoun gelding ran three times on the flat in his native country as a three-year-old, winning over an extended 12 furlongs at Hyères on the Cote d’Azur for Keven Borgel. He was then transferred to Alan King’s yard but never appeared for the Barbury Castle trainer.