Wins for Alderson and Morrison

THERE was plenty to celebrate at Christopher Hunt and Brian Morrison’s Global Sport Horses’ yard following last week’s Millstreet international horse trials as Morrison won the Foran Equine CCI3*-L on the team’s Global Faerlie Flashy while Daniel Alderson landed the Donagh Hickey Motors CCI2*-L on the Oliver Walsh-owned and bred Lux Like Cruise.

“Well, I call him Dan, but I suppose you could call him second jockey at the yard!” said Morrison in relation to Alderson’s role at the Churchtown, Co Cork facility. “Dan is a very experienced rider and he looks after everything such as deciding where and when to run the horses he rides and he has had some excellent results since joining us.”

In the three-star long, Morrison and Global Faerlie Flashy, a nine-year-old British Sport Horse mare by Primitive Faerie Tale, led after the dressage phase on the 25.5 penalties they were awarded by Britain’s Angela Tucker (C), Poland’s Slawomir Pietrzak (H) and Ireland’s John Lyttle (B). They picked up four time penalties over Saturday’s cross-country course but, with a clear show jumping round, held on to score narrowly from Australia’s Bill Levett who, with the only double clear inside the time, finished second on the former Sarah Ennis ride Sligo Candy Cane (29.8).

In spite of a fence down show jumping on Sunday, Ireland’s Daragh Byrne placed third with Kilcannon Ramiro (34.4) who was clear within the time over the fixed fences. Michael Ryan also lowered one of the coloured poles with The Caped Crusader whose total of 36.6 included 2.8 cross-country time penalties.

Disappointingly for Ireland’s Ian Cassells, who has suffered few reversals this season, he had to withdraw Kelly’s Quality, who led following dressage and cross-country (26.7), before Sunday’s horse inspection. The highly consistent OBOS Quality 004 gelding gave himself a slight knock but should be right for Ballindenisk.

“I was very pleased with Global Faerlie Flashy and, although we haven’t fully decided as yet, we will probably bring her and Global DHI (ninth in the CCI4*-S) to Boekelo,” stated Morrison.

Riding for Britain, Daniel Alderson led throughout the CCI2*-L on Lux Like Cruise in spite of adding 2.4 show jumping time penalties to his winning dressage score of 25.8.

Ballindenisk is probably the next port of call for Oliver Walsh’s nine-year-old Lux Z gelding who is out of the Cruising mare Hyundai Santa Fe, a half-sister to the Black Boy gelding Black Boy Clover (CIC3*) among others.

With a fence down show jumping, and two time penalties on that phase, Sarah Ennis finished second on KSH Touch Of Quality (32.6), while one of the few clear show jumping rounds was recorded by Gortmore, Co Cork-based Laura Archdeacon who, with 3.2 cross-country time penalties, finished third on Liam O’Flynn’s eight-year-old Coroner gelding Hacketts Cross (34.9).

Seventeen-year-old Laura, who is a daughter of racehorse trainer Louis Archdeacon and rides out for her father, will now be concentrating on her Leaving Certificate studies.

It was a great weekend for the Co Cork family as Laura’s sister Sarah was on the Duhallow Diamonds squad which won the Junior team event at the Connolly’s Red Mills/Irish Pony Club eventing championships at Tattersalls.