PAUL Beecher won the 10th round of the TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Tour in Maryville, Co Cork last Sunday aboard Danqu, owned by his wife Seryna Van Kuelen.

A superb clear in the 11-horse jump-off in a very fast time of 37.31 saw them capture first place by a margin of almost two seconds from their closest rival.

Speaking after their win Beecher told The Irish Field: “We’re absolutely delighted with the win. Every day he jumps he gives 110%, he’s always there or thereabouts. He was very unlucky in Wexford recently, he had the first fence down but he was in such good form he kept going, had the fastest time and ended up in fifth place.

“Wexford was his first show back after the winter break so I think that really sharpened him up. At home any of the kids in the yard could hack him out, he’s like a school pony at home and then when you take him to the show he becomes unbelievably sensitive and sharp, you’d have to have your wits about you because he could buck you off.

“That’s his key in the jump-off because you can gallop at a fence and then turn straight away at the back of it, you don’t even have to slow him down to turn him. That’s what he did yesterday; on the roll back to one of the oxers, he just literally turned in, jumped it and then galloped for the double.”

Danqu suffered an injury in 2017, Beecher explained: “These days his strength is in the 1.30 and 1.35m classes. As a youngster he did show a look of promise but then he was injured in 2017 in Portugal and picked up a hairline fracture in his fetlock and was off for two years with that.

“That continues to give him trouble which is why you only see him every now and then. We have to manage him carefully; we use him very sparingly so that’s why every time he comes out he is in top form because we know he is feeling good.

“We have to mind him because if he jumps too much it will get sore. He will get a rest now again probably for about four weeks and then he will pick up again. The injury was a real pity for him. He showed so much potential when he was young. The Speed Derby in Hickstead was my intention for him before he got hurt.”

Beecher continued: “My other horse, Glamstone (Berlin x Sydney), is a 12-year-old Dutch-bred gelding; I’ll use him for the Premier series this summer. He had a fence down and picked up a time fault on Sunday but he felt good and I’m looking forward to competing with him.

“He’s a very sharp horse. In the practice ring he’s very spooky. He’s an interesting horse, at home you would struggle to jump a liverpool with him, you can’t get him next or near it, yet he loves going into the river and playing in there. At the show he jumps liverpools no problem and it doesn’t seem to bother him; he is a funny, quirky horse.

“I rode John Buttimer’s seven-year-old Danio VB Z (DE Flor 111 Z x Darco) in his first 1.35m Grand Prix. He had two fences down but I think he coped well and it was a good learning experience for him. He’ll hopefully do the Munster Grand Prix league this year. John also has a six-year-old with me, the Dutch-bred MJ DuFresne who is nice.

“With regard to the win, I’d say I made up the time from the first fence really. He (Danqu) galloped down to it and I could tell he was up for it. It was a tall vertical so a lot of people were being cautious but he is a very good vertical jumper so I knew I could trust him. He’s naturally fast and is very competitive.

“In addition to the three I rode in the Grand Prix, I also have a few nice youngsters coming through. I have the six-year-old mare Brogagh Darcy (Dakar VDL x Warrenstown WE 3) showing some good potential. I bought her in Barnadown where she won the loose jumping as a three-year-old at the Breeders’ Classic.

“I have the five-year-old Diablo DK and four four-year-olds all of whom are coming along nicely. I sold a lot of horses last year so I’m just waiting now for the next ones to come through. We would normally go to Spain in the spring but there was no point this year really.

“We’ll stay here for the summer, do the Dublin qualifiers and the Horse Board classes and then hopefully head away to Holland and Belgium for about four weeks at the back end of the year.”

Some 24 combinations lined out for the Grand Prix at the Cork venue. Of these just 11 produced a clear first round to progress to the timed decider.

Young rider Seamus Hennessy set the pace as second to go in the jump-off, with a clear round in a time of 40.40 aboard Ballynoe Clinton Jack which was eventually good enough for third place.

Jamie Landers and Jargon DM then matched the fault-free round, theirs coming slower in 41.39 for fourth. The next double clear came again from Hennessy and his second mount King Louis AE. They stopped the clock at 39.14 launching them into the top spot.

Hennessy didn’t hold the lead for long however, as Beecher was next to go with Danqu. They crossed the finish line in 37.31, a time that could not be caught by any of the four remaining combinations.

By the end of the class, the leaderboard read; Beecher in first place, Hennessy in both second and third with Landers in fourth.

The next, and first of the 1.40m rounds of the Spring Tour takes place tomorrow, (Sunday, April 2nd) at Barnadown.