MERVUE EQUINE

LEINSTER SUMMER TOUR

NOW heading into its sixth year, the Mervue Equine Leinster Summer Tour is proving just as popular. Again, like the Connaught Grand Prix League, it boasts a lucrative prize fund which is a great incentive for riders and owners.

In each round this year, there was a prize fund of €1,500 for 1.35m and €500 for the 1.20m Tour. Also, in each leg there was a prize for the the top young rider and the top pro am riders. Along with the prize funds in each leg, a total of €3,500 was up for grabs for the overall winners in the 1.35 and €1,500 for the small tour 1.20m.

The winner of the 1.35m young rider section also received a week’s training in Germany with top Irish international Bertram Allen, while the winner of the 1.35 pro am received a bursary from HSI tutor Ian Fearon. In total between each sections, this league offered an overall prize fund of over €25,000.

This league came to fruition due to the efforts of Maureen Bagnall and Taylor Vard and has received huge support from the off. Sponsored by Mervue Equine for the last three years, past sponsors include Pegus Horse Feeds, Botanica for the pro am and the Leinster region in conjunction with Darragh Equestrian for the Grand Prix. Cian O’Connor was one of the first sponsors of the young rider bursary.

This regional league, in the majority of cases runs, alongside the national Grand Prix league and, as a result, gets good numbers in each round. In the 2017 final which was held at the Irish Breeders Classic in Barnadown, the 1.35m boasted a start list of 60 combinations. The organisers, keen to bring in new venues, included Iverk and Oylegate which proved popular. 2017 also saw the introduction of the 1.20m and although not as popular as the 1.35m, it will no doubt develop like its earlier counterpart.

This year’s winners were Tholm Keane (1.35m), Jack Ryan (Young Rider), Stephen Murphy (1.20m winner) and pro am winner was Deirdre Doyle. Speaking about the league, Tholm Keane said: “These league are super for producing young horses but also for keeping horses that are coming back from jumping Grand Prix status. Warrenstown You 2 is a prime example of this. I took him out for the final and although it was testing, it was a perfect challenge for a horse that had the experience but you didn’t want to push too much.

“I also compete in the Munster and Ulster Grands Prix and they are just as competitive. They are also a great warm-up for spectators prior to the bigger classes as they are very competitive, they are interesting to watch. The Leinster league is lucky to have a good sponsor in Mervue Equine and it’s with the likes of them that the league can develop.”