IT was a case of déjà vu in Cavan Equestrian Centre last Saturday evening as Co Kildare’s Heike Holstein won the Grand Prix on Sambuca and so was crowned National Champion for the 13th time at Dressage Ireland’s National Championships.

The Grand Prix, like the Championships themselves, was sponsored by the Co Laois-based Slieve Bloom Stud and what a winner they had in Holstein and her home-bred Samarant mare who were members of the team at the European Championships in Rotterdam which secured Ireland a place at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Just four combinations lined out for the Grand Prix before Finland’s Paula Nysten (C) and Britain’s Jane Perberdy (H) with Holstein claiming the title on a score of 68.043%. The Rachel Dowley-ridden Cadens (62.772) finished reserve to Sambuca, who is out of the Limmerick mare Astoria.

“It was just wonderful to win again!” said Holstein. “I can’t add much more to what I said last year when we won but have to mention how much the mare has grown up in the past 12 months.

Last year, she was looking all around her in the arena, under the lights, but at the weekend, after the season we’ve had, she just took it all in her stride and was very relaxed. We will concentrate on training and improving over the winter.

“It was a brilliant Championships with a wonderful friendly atmosphere and many thanks to the organisers, officials and the huge team of volunteers who worked so hard to make the weekend such a success,” added the Carbury-based mother of two.

“Friday night’s celebrations of Dressage Ireland’s 30th birthday were great and Dane (Rawlins) was a brilliant compere of the Questions and Answers session. It was great for the members at home to meet Peetzy (Anna Merveldt), as she doesn’t get back to Ireland so often, and to hear from our team trainer, Johann Hinnemann.

“Sally Corscadden (Horse Sport Ireland’s eventing high performance director) had been out at the Test Event in Tokyo and she gave a very helpful and informative power-point presentation (to team riders and others on the dressage high performance squad) on the fabulous facilities that will be available for all the equestrian sports at the Olympics. All we want now is for the show jumpers to qualify in Barcelona this weekend!”

Holstein also won the Slieve Bloom Stud Prix St Georges on Christina McCann’s 12-year-old Dutch-bred Chameur (68.309), a gelding by Uphill. Second here was Anne Marie Dunphy with Her Highness Willow (67.132), the 13-year-old His Highness mare with whom, on a score of 67.400, she won the Botanica Prix St George Freestyle Championship ahead of Tara Oliver on Furst Romance (66.775).

Dual winner

Another dual winner over the weekend was Belinda Brereton who won both the Curragh Equine Rehabilitation Centre Advanced Medium Championship and the Botanica Advanced Medium Freestyle title with Galaxy Moone. Brereton competed many times in Britain this season with the eight-year-old Negro gelding.

Courtney Stuart, who was second in the Advanced Medium Championship on HH Empire (66.165), had compensation for that defeat when landing the Ballymacarby Massage Clinic Medium Category 3 Championship with her Dutch-bred stallion. Stuart and the Bretton Woods seven-year-old triumphed on a score of 66.761, with Marguerite McSweeney finishing second (65.839) with her nine-year-old Westpoint mare Fidette on whom she claimed the Botanica Medium Freestyle Championship.

Rachel Rowe and Natasha Brotherton Kennedy were the winners of the very well-supported Novice Category 1 qualifiers with Rowe landing the Dressage Ireland Midlands & Western Regions Championship with the former eventer Kachemire Le Beau (69.370), a 21-year-old Selle Français gelding by Oleandre. Brotherton Kennedy filled the reserve slot with her five-year-old Harlequin du Carel gelding, Padraig Ina Sheasamh, winner of the EI90 Amateur title at Eventing Ireland’s recent National Championships.

There were solitary wins also for Marlton-based Molly Mooney with the German-bred Sverige, a 10-year-old mare by Swarovski, in the Dressage Ireland South Munster Region Novice Category 2 Championship and for now local rider Fiona Skipper with the Dutch-bred Jumping Fox, a 17-year-old Jumper gelding, in the Slieve Bloom Stud Intermédiaire Championship.

Also topping the podium after a single victory at Cavan was Caroline Herron who won the Horse First Four-Year-old Championship with the Irish Sport Horse mare, Clantara Kallisto. That bay, who was bred in Co Down by David Mulholland, is by the Hanoverian stallion Antaeus out of Lyleview Lady Mel (by Indoctro).

The Regional team championship was won by the Leinster quartet of Marguerite MacSweeney (Fidette), Sorrell Klatzko (Master Caledonia), Heike Holstein (Sambuca) and Belinda Breteton (Galaxy Moone).

Oscar O’Connor (Top Hero 2), Rachel Rowe (Kachemire le Beau), Rachel Carr (Calelvador May Blossom) and Naoise Ward (Santa Monica) took the honours in the Under 25 category for the South East Region.