THE Connaught Region of Showjumping Ireland held their two-day regional championships at Ard Chuain Equestrian Centre in Co Sligo last weekend where, despite some desperate weather on Sunday, riders in the region came together to sponsor the young horse classes.
Unfortunately, due to the decline in weather and big winds, the four-year-old final and the five-year-old final, which both had prize funds of €1,500 put up by the riders, were cancelled.
Despite that, Connaught region chairman Tommy Gibbons was delighted with the show. “The support from the riders was fantastic, it was great to see them support their own sport. A huge thanks to our main sponsors, Freestyling Farms for the Grand Prix league, John Enda Lee in Oil Direct, Duffy Sport Horses, and Martin Flesk who supported the amateurs and put up bonus prizes.
“There was a real feel good factor about the whole thing. On Saturday, the atmosphere was unbelievable and people were sitting on the grass watching the jumping. Sunday was desperate weather and unfortunately we lost the four-year-old final and the five-year-old final because it was just too dangerous with the wind.”
Ohio-based Freestyling Farms came on board this season to sponsor the seven-round league which was forced to start later than usual due to Covid-19. Freestyling Farms is run by Sligo native Trevor Gaffney and his Californian wife Jill who rides at Grand Prix level.
The final leg of the league took place on Sunday in Ard Chuain and, for the fourth time, Headford rider Raphael Lee Jnr claimed the title, the third with his uncle John Enda Lee’s Captain Marko.
Lee won two rounds of the league, at Duffys and Upper Mace, finished second at Galway Equestrian and third in Ballinasloe, plus one other minor placing left him well out in the lead on 38 points heading into the final.
Well-related
Bred by Mayo show jumper Gabriel Slattery, Captain Marko is a 10-year-old gelding by Captain Clover out of White Kannan (Kannan) who has bred a number of useful performers, including the two years older full-brother, Captain on the Move, who competed at two-star level in eventing with Britain’s Henry Dove. Lee also rode another sibling, Junior Kannan (by Castlelawn Captain Junior), to second place in the six and seven-year-old final on Sunday.
Lee and Captain Marko were among nine clears in the first round over the 1.35m track on Sunday but eight faults in the jump-off saw them finish ninth, which was good enough to win the league with a total of 39 points.
Win for Sixt
A startlist of 33 lined out in Ard Chuain which, in comparison to national shows across the country, was a good turnout. Victory went to 22-year-old Austrian rider Johanna Sixt who rides for Vinnie Duffy in Knockmore, Co Mayo. She guided Sandra Duffy’s 11-year-old Chacco Blue-sired gelding Fini to the best of four double clear rounds in a time of 32.11 seconds. It was the pair’s first placing in the league.
Shane Goggins took the runner-up position with Laura Burke’s eight-year-old mare Galwaybay Penelope and the combination earned the Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored best Irish-bred prize. Bred in Co Galway by Justin Burke, the mare is by Clinton out of the Hearkbreaker dam Winebreaker S. The pair broke the beams in 33.14.
Just fractions of a second slower was Sven Hadley in third place with Adrian Hewson’s eight-year-old Calanthe Slot. Double handed in the jump-off, he guided the Danish-bred gelding by Cabochon to a fault-free round in 33.40 seconds.
John Mulligan was the final double clear aboard John Mulligan Snr’s 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse Creevagh Special, crossing the finish line in 36.83. By Camiro de Haar Z and, as her name suggests, the mare was bred by Ronnie Hollinger out of Creevagh Harlequin Lady (Harlequin du Carel).
Hadley finished fifth aboard his second mount, Hadley Sport Horses’ Swedish-bred Topspin, ahead of Gabriel Slattery in sixth with the traditional Irish Sport Horse stallion Castlelawn Captain Junior (Captain Clover x Diamond Lad), who was bred by Eliazabeth Gallagher.
Taylor Sweeney was the highest placed young rider on Sunday when finishing eighth with Brian Tuffy’s Summerwood Molly, while the overall league title for best young rider went to Brendan Murphy, who is also based at Duffy Sport Horses in Ballina.