KATIE O’Sullivan has evented just two horses this year for Cooley Farm, the seven-year-old geldings Cooley Rules and Licence To Cooley, who finished first and second in the Donagh Hickey Motors CCI2*-S at Millstreet last weekend.

The former, an Irish Sport Horse by Beach Ball, completed on the dressage score (27.2) he was awarded by the ground jury members, Faith Ponsonby and Marie Hennessy, while the Dutch Warmblood Licence To Cooley, a son of Balou du Rouet Z, was a second over the time in the show jumping phase for a total of 28.5.

Michael Ryan slotted into third on his flat work mark of 29.8 with another seven-year-old, the OBOS Quality 004 gelding Claragh Olala, while the dressage phase winner on 25.9, Tiggy Hancock, had an expensive show jump down for a fourth-place finish on her 2019 European pony championship ride, the 12-year-old Coppenagh Spring Sparrow.

Twenty-six of the 43 starters erred over the James Tarrant-built show jumping track. Three combinations withdrew before the cross-country phase, a similar number retired on the Mike Etherington-Smith-designed course where, also, there was a trio of eliminations.

“These are two cracking top-end horses,” said O’Sullivan of Cooley Rules and Licence To Cooley. “We didn’t do a whole lot of eventing with them last year – often finding the events were full when we tried to enter – but we did do a bit of jumping. They did their first Novice events towards the end of last season and, this year, have improved with every run; it was just a matter of getting them qualified for Millstreet.

“They did a super job on the ground here, moving the ropes where needed and even putting the last fence onto new ground overnight. I certainly had no complaints with my weekend and was delighted with my results. Saying that, it’s easy to do a good job when you have the right tools!”

These particular right tools were sourced by Cooley Farm’s Richard Sheane as five-year-olds. “I bought the winner from Rasher Widger whose other half, Barbara Allen, had competed the horse (then known as Salvador Jack) in RDS and ISH Studbook qualifiers. The other horse, who was imported from Europe as a foal, I bought in Cavan from Eoin Geoghan; he was very green, more like a three-year-old in fact.

“As with all horses at Cooley Farm, they did a lot of schooling. Last year, because of Covid and with no clients coming into the country, we held everything up. You can sell commercial, rideable horses online but with these horses who have huge potential, and are priced accordingly, you want your good clients coming in to try them and everyone being happy with the deal.

“Fortunately, things have started to pick up in recent weeks and this result was a great boost for the yard. Cooley Farm is all about selling and I’d hope these two horses would find new homes soon. Katie, who has been with us for eight years, is a serious, talented jockey and you know that whether you are showing a horse at home or have one in competition, she will do what you ask to achieve the best result.”

Cooley Rules was bred in Co Down by George McCullagh out of the Aldatus Z mare Kildalton Poppet, a half-sister to, among others, the Ricardo Z gelding Kildalton Cooley (CIC3*).