ON a weekend when USA team rider Boyd Martin stole the headlines for winning the CCI2*, CCI3* and CIC3* in one sweep at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event in New Jersy, USA, another Martin, Caroline, finished second with her Irish horses in both the CCI3* (Islandwood Captain Jack) and CCI2* (Jump Jet).

Caroline humbly accepted the bridesmaid position, commenting: “I’m thrilled to place second; it’s always nice to win at the upper levels, but Boyd has put in way more years of hard work than I have. He deserves to be number one. I just hope in the next 10 or 20 years I can catch up!”

Her success in the CCI3* with Islandwood Captain Jack, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Jack of Diamonds x Touchdown) who was bred by Gerard O’Connor in Co Cork, who she produced herself from a four-year-old was particularly rewarding for Martin.

“I’ve been producing him slowly and I always said he was going to be a really good upper-level horse, like three-star/four-star, so I’m just glad that my predictions were right,” she said.

Jump Jet, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Captain Clover x Cavalier Royale) bred in Co Sligo by Gerard Jennings, was produced in England by Piggy French and was a gift to Martin from her parents on Christmas day in 2017.

“He was my Christmas present for the next 20 years – or maybe 100!” she laughed.

She said: “He’s a competitive little horse and he has a big heart. He may not be the fanciest in dressage, but he’s very steady. He’s an excellent jumper without being too careful, so I think he has all the parts, but we’ll see.”

After Jersey Fresh, Martin heads to England to compete in the Under 25s at Houghton Hall CIC and the Bramham CCI3*, having received the $25,000 Karen Stives Endowment Grant from the US Equestrian Team Foundation.

She will also train with Carl Hester and William Fox-Pitt and receive regular coaching from the US Emerging Athlete Coach, Leslie Law.

Also in the CCI2* Irish rider Tim Bourke finished seventh aboard Quality Time (Guidam x High Roller), a seven-year-old ISH mare owned by Carla Abramcheck.