YOUNG rider Robin Carey has been knocking on the door of late with two top-six placings in the TRM/Showjumpers Club 1.35m Grand Prix.

He was finally rewarded with a win in last Sunday’s 1.35m Grand Prix in Maryville, Co Cork.

Partnering his own 10-year-old mare Luicruz, by Luidam out of All Cruz (Puissance), who was bred by Sean Fahy, the duo saw off some stiff competition in the eight-way jump-off to take the top prize.

“She (Luicruz) is very good, she won a couple of the HSI Studbook classes as a seven-year-old. She also did well as a six-year-old,” Carey told The Irish Field.

“She did her first 1.45m last year and she found it no problem at all. She is barely 160cm herself, so it’s hard to know just how far she’ll go until you ask her, but she found it easy. She surprises me all the time.

“On Sunday, I did one too many in the first line and I said to myself, ‘I’ll have to go up two gears now’. She’s naturally very quick and is very fast across the ground. She’s small and very agile. The jump-off suited me, with tight turns and not a lot of galloping, so I just kept the turns tight and was a bit quicker than the bigger horses.

“We plan to follow the Spring Tour for the minute, and hope to do some of the National Grands Prix and we will take it from there.”

A start list of 40 was soon reduced to just eight, after 13 combinations had a single fence down in round one. Eight riders had two on the ground, while two more had three down and another five chose to retire.

First to go, Daisy McNamara aboard her mother Martha’s Belgian-bred gelding Caspetito Z (Cassio vh Sonnishof x Hors la Loi ii) set the pace with a second clear round in 28.77, which would be good enough for eventual fourth place.

Second to go, Marta Hughes Bravo and her mother Marion’s home-bred HHS Figero (Guidam x Cavalier Royale), also left all the fences intact, stopping the clock at 27.95 to snatch the lead.

Darragh Ryan was next to go riding his own eight-year-old Belgian-bred gelding As You Want Z. They too remained fault-free but in a slower time of 29.68 for fifth place.

Another eight-year-old, David Hedley’s CFH Baltic Royale (Baltic VDL x Ard VDL Douglas), bred by John Carey and ridden by Jamie Landers, posted yet another double clear; theirs coming in 33.27 to finish just inside the money in sixth place.

Madeline Allen and her own Celah Sue De Rialfo Z (Coupe De Coeur x Caletto III) were unlucky to collect four faults with one fence down in 39.11.

Max Foley and Catherine Walsh’s gelding Highcross Violet added their name to the list of double clears when they crossed the finish with nothing to add in 28.57 for third place.

The penultimate pair in, Louis Gates Hardiman and his own home-bred eight-year-old Ravelle GH (Diamant de Semilly x Utrillo van de Heffinck) left all the poles in place, but in a cautious time of 34.13.

Carey had the advantage of being last to go aboard Luicruz. A second clear in a fast time of 27.02 saw them secure the win and the lion’s share of the €3,000 prize fund.

The next round of the TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Tour takes place in Tipperary tomorrow, Sunday, March 30th.