BACK show jumping in Mullingar on Sunday, Cathal Daniels made his first foray into Eventing Ireland company last Saturday at Tyrella 3 where he won on three of his four rides, one of those winners being his own home-bred CDS Hot Whiskey, a six-year-old Chello gelding, in the EI100 (T).

The first of Daniels’s graded successes came in the seven-runner EI115 where he completed on his Lucinda Webb-Graham-awarded flat work score with Sarah Hughes’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Shannondale Micah (30 penalties) who was having his first start since October last year.

Locally-based Jim Newsam finished a well-beaten second on Tullybee Louie who had a good dressage score (27.5) but picked up time penalties in both jumping phases for a total of 40.3. Having led following the first phase on 26.8, Sam Watson withdrew his Tyrella 1 winner Nominator after the thoroughbred gelding lowered two poles in the show jumping ring.

Hat-trick

Only two combinations recorded clears over the Aaron McCusker-built show jumping track in the 14-strong EI110. These were Daniels on Mags Kinsella’s ISH gelding Cornasaus Junior Hights, who won on his dressage score (27.8) with the Imperial Hights seven-year-old, and Jonny Steele whose total of 31.9 on Bessie Blue included 1.7 show jumping time penalties.

While also penalised for time across the country (5.6), Janet Hall’s dressage winners on 20.3, Alex Houston and My Atlantic Encore, lost their hold on the top spot in the show jumping ring where they amassed 16 penalties but still managed to finish third on 41.9.

“I go out to win and have to be happy with how things went today,” Daniels revealed.

“That was [the] first eventing start for myself and Micah since he jumped a double clear at Le Lion last October.

"He’s well-bred, being a Shannondale Sarco full-brother to Shannondale Mari (CCI4*-S) and Shannondale Percy (CCI4*-S). He’ll now go to Ballindenisk but his main target this season is the CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-olds at Blenheim.

“The other horse, who’s a full-brother to Sammy Davis Junior (CCI5*-L), isn’t overbig but he’s a smashing type. Being seven, we can take our time with him. While I’m more involved with show jumping these days, I do have some nice youngsters for the Stepping Stones league and after that the Young Eventhorse Series.”