CAPTAIN Geoff Curran and the Minister For Defence’s HHS Clinstown had the perfect start to their 2021 season winning the 10th round of the TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Tour in Maryville last Sunday.

Speaking after the win, Captain Curran said: “He’s a great little horse. It’s his first show back so we are delighted to have hit the ground running.

“We were just talking about it here and, looking back, he had a great start to the season last year too, so we figure the key with him is to keep him fresh, so that’s what we’ll do.

“He is quick in the air and fast across the ground, and I think I was a bit tighter into the double. To be honest I saw Jason (Foley) go and I thought he was faster than me but in the end we were just marginally ahead.

“Looking forward to this year’s Grand Prix season, I have the 10-year-old gelding MHS Gabhran (Cardento - Diamant De Semilly), the 11-year-old Glengarra Wood (Capitalist - Cavalier Clover Lad) and Clinstown (OBOS Quality - Cavalier Royale). I’m aiming (Clinstown) for the Premier Series as well as the nine-year-old Tempo Manor (Sligo Candy Boy - Lux Z) who I’m hoping will step up to that level this summer, so I’m excited to get going again.

“Like everyone else, we are looking forward to getting back to normal again when restrictions are lifted. We’ve been very lucky in the Equitation School that we have had no Covid cases. We have all been very careful, wearing masks, keeping our distance, and avoiding situations where people may gather by closing our coffee break room, etc.

“We have no plans to travel abroad at the moment, Mullingar and Coilóg are the next shows planned for myself and our second Senior Grand Prix rider, Captain Charlene Kehoe,” he added.

Some 56 combinations lined out for the Paul Duffy-designed 1.35m track. Of these, 24 posted a first round clear to progress to the timed decider.

In the jump-off, we saw one rider retire, two had two fences on the ground for eight faults, one with a fence down plus two time faults for six, another with a fence down plus one for time and 11 had an error at a single fence to collect four faults.

This meant that just one rider, Captain Kehoe with Shannondale Rahona (Shannondale Sarco St. Ghyvan Z - Cavalier Royale), incurred a single time fault and just seven riders managed to keep a clean sheet throughout.

Captain Curran proved fastest of these stopping the clock at 38.27, just slightly ahead of runner-up Jason Foley riding Julian Pearson’s eight-year-old gelding Killossery Krescendo (Indoctro - Cruising) who broke the finish beam in 38.30.

Third went to Killian Ryan and his own French-bred gelding Uranus D’Or in 38.85, while Francis Connors slotted into fourth aboard Anne Clancy and Mary Gannon’s eight-year-old Kannan - Cruising gelding CSF James Kann Cruz in 41.69.

Another member of the Connors family, Fra’s cousin Nicholas D. Connors finished in fifth place riding another eight-year-old, Ann Connor’s Belgian-bred stallion Holy Blue (Chacco Blue - Cassini 1). Sixth place went to James Noonan’s Cullinagh UG (West Coast Cavalier - Buster King), ridden by Gemma Phelan.

The seventh and final clear was provided by Jason Higgins and the eight-year-old gelding Rincoola Milsean (Aldatus Z - Cruising).

The next round of the Spring Tour takes place today (Saturday) in Tubberbride, followed by Barnadown tomorrow (Sunday) and another round in JAG Equestrian on Easter Monday.