STEPPING into the breach to replace the cancelled fixture at Hillcrest, Kilguilkey House hosts Danny and Michelle Dulohery staged another successful event last weekend. Despite the short notice, and the fact that the couple had arrived home from holiday less than 24 hours before kick-off, the venue was prepared as normal. The tracks (including the dressage and show jumping arenas) had been freshly watered and aggravated, while the course itself featured a new opening route. “That is why we come down,” stated winning rider Katie O’Sullivan. “Danny does an amazing job with the ground - he knows what he’s doing. Even when we had a deluge of rain at about 3.30 and the ground became a little mucky on top, it was never an issue.”

The inaugural event at Hillcrest, Co Limerick will now be unveiled on September 1st.

EI 110 CLASSES

While the bulk of the day’s 150 runners were concentrated largely across the EI 110 and EI100 classes, the day’s proceedings opened with a modest start list of five in EI 110 Open sector. The quintet was further reduced to four after dressage, and with all returning with their dressage scores intact, the red ribbon went to first phase leaders Sophie Walshe and Kinsau. Walshe and the thoroughbred 10-year-old by Indian Danehill posted a smart mark of 28.5, just clear of Shannon Nelson aboard DHI Cadeau (29.3), and Walshe again aboard her other thoroughbred Herobrine (30.8).

The scoreboard illustrated a similar picture in the following EI 110, which, with 31 starters, proved numerically a much more competitive affair. The cross-country, once again however, had no influence and although a few show jumping errors did alter the placings of some, the final result fell largely in first phase order. In the end, the top spot fell to Co Wicklow rider Katie O’Sullivan, who having impressed Liam Moloney on the flat, dominated the dressage with the Richard Sheane-owned pair Cooley Gangster (26.0) and Cooley Now Or Never (26.5). However, when the former lowered a coloured pole, it was the seven-year-old Cooley Now Or Never who finally led the field.

“Richard thinks a lot of him,” stated O’Sullivan of the son of Ars Vivendi. “He rides very blood, and he’s one we have opted to keep for a bit to run up the levels – and I’m delighted that I can!” The age class at Millstreet is the end of season goal for this big grey, while the Blenheim young horse advanced class has been pencilled in for next year.

Sharing the same dressage mark, and chasing O’Sullivan all the way was the Camphire Nations Cup nominated rider Brian Morrison, riding the smart mare Global Athena (OBOS Quality). The duo, who were runners-up in the CCI* Intro at the venue’s recent international meeting, eventually slipped into second, having added just 0.4 penalty for time.

Another to record a good run was third-placed Elizabeth Hayden with the up and coming Holstein-bred seven-year-old Calwey.