SUSAN Fitzpatrick is certainly proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the TRM Showjumpers’ Club Spring Tour as she took her second consecutive win at Portmore last Sunday.

The Kilkenny native lodged the win aboard her own Keatingstown Skorphults Joker and also picked up the TRM leading young rider prize. Fitzpatrick won the previous round at Broadmeadows Equestrian last weekend with Keatingstown Gotha De Baudignies.

Delighted with the win, Susan Fitzpatrick said: “Joker is a relatively new horse for me, I bought him from Dave Quigley (Quigley Sporthorses) a couple of months ago. Ian Fives has been riding him the past year and I have to commend him on the top-class job he has done producing him. He’s a horse I’m incredibly excited about for the upcoming year to compete in the likes of Dublin and Lanaken. He is extremely clever and his athleticism resembles a rubber ball! I’m going to continue to follow the TRM Spring Tour league with my string of horses and next up is Killossery on Sunday. Also, a big well done to Portmore as it was a brilliant day for the Spring Tour with great facilities and organisation.”

Keatingstown Skorphults Joker is a seven-year-old German-bred gelding. He was bred by Gestut Lewitz and is by Conthargos out of the Chacco Blue-sired dam Chaccy Anne. A new mount for Fitzpatrick, the gelding was previously campaigned by Ian Fives and before this Harold Megahey. Under the Kilkenny rider’s command, they made their debut on to the Irish circuit in Portmore in January where they delivered a double clear in the 1.20m. At the round at Tipperary Equestrian, the pair delivered a double clear in the Spring Tour and finished in seventh place.

Competitive class

With 42 combinations going to post, 11 booked their place in the jump-off and eight delivered double clears. It was an extremely close class with the top six coming home within the 45-second mark. First to take it on was Longford’s Robert Harrison with his father David’s eight-year-old mare Mosstown Lils Angel. Harrison set the time to beat of clear in 44.70 which would later see him occupy sixth place in the final placings.

Sam El Dahan reduced the target riding the big-striding WKD Chicago. They made up ground and with a good turn back to the oxer at five and later to the penultimate vertical, stopped the clock in 43.75 to take the lead and claim eventual fourth.

Gerard Clarke delivered a clear round with the Tirnaskea Stud-owned Honfleur. Clarke made up the time in the turn back to the double of verticals and then from the vertical from four to five to knock a fraction off El Dahan’s (WKD Chicago) time, clocking 43.76 for fifth place.

Susan Fitzpatrick was next to take up the gauntlet with Keatingstown Skorphults Joker. She kept the pace from the start and negotiated the necessary tight turn back to the double and to the oxer at five, to post the winning time of 42.47.

Mark Finnerty had his foot on the accelerator as he took it on with All Action, but despite a calculated pace, failed to catch the leader as he went through the timers in 43.29 for second place at this point.

Sam El Dahan returned with his second mount, Wicked Enigma, but failed to match Fitzpatrick’s tight line back to the oxer at five and crossed the line in 43.29 to share the runner-up spot with Finnerty.

Double-handed in the jump-off, Gerard Clarke got his second look at the course with King Lupin and delivered a clear albeit in a slower time of 51.24 for seventh place.

Philip Gaw also answered all the questions aboard Ardnacashel Coovella, but a slower time of 54.21 saw him take eighth place in the line-up.

The Tesora leading pro-am rider of this round was Beatrice Gates Hardiman.

Team Challenge

Meanwhile, after round one of the Showjumpers Team Challenge at Cavan Equestrian, little separates the eight teams with just one point between first and second at this early stage.

Taking the lead after clocking up 22 points is Team Bioactive’s Damien Griffin (Pro), Luke Campbell (Pro), Paul Tarpey (Am), Niall Brannigan (Am), Orla Cassidy (Proam) and Brendan Murphy (YR). Luke Campbell collected seven points while Paul Tarpey added five points to the team tally and Brendan Murphy’s win saw him add 10 points to the mix.

Just one point behind, with it all to play for, is team Speedxcell’s Eddie Moloney (Pro), Kenneth Graham (Pro), Martin Flesk (Am), Anna Sheridan (Am), Alan O’Regan (Proam) and Kayleigh Soden (Yr). In this team Martin Flesk added nine points to the team tally, Anna Sheridan seven points and Kayleigh Soden five points.

Please note: The next round of the Spring Tour was to be at Killossery Lodge Stud tomorrow (Sunday) but is now cancelled due to Covid-19.