BALLYWALTER Stables’ home-bred mare Coconut BW won the prestigious Cavan Crystal Hotel five-year-old championship last Sunday at the Cavan Indoor Championships.

By Cardento out of Tuladai Della Caccia (Toulon), she is ridden and was produced by Ballywalter’s resident Irish-based rider, Daren Hopkins. Following the victory, Hopkins spoke to The Irish Field about the mare. “Her half-sister (Kumina Della Caccia) won the gold medal in the seven-year-olds in Lanaken last year with Harry (Allen).

“She is very well-related; her grandmother is a full-sister of Kashmir van’t Schuttershof. She was broken by Mags Power and we did very little with her as a four-year-old, giving her time to mature.

“She is quite green, but every single round she jumps this year she just gets better. We’re delighted with her. She is very nice to ride.

"She had never gone against the clock before, but she took it all in her stride and remained relaxed throughout.”

Hopkins continued: “I got a good turn from one to two, I did one stride less than most people, I think, so that set me up in a good rhythm from the first distance and it all just kind of followed on after that. She’s really careful and didn’t touch a pole all week. She wasn’t phased about being indoors, which was another first for her. She is very clever. She knows where the jumps are. The whole round was very smooth, there was no rushing, just a nice balanced, consistent rhythm.

“The plan for her for the rest of the year is to take it easy. We will bring her out at the start of next year and get her some more experience, probably do a few Horse Board classes, things like that.”

Forty-four of the top five-year-olds made it through the qualifying rounds to line out for the Cavan Crystal class, which offered a prize pot of €7,000.

Of the 44, some 20 combinations delivered a clear first round to progress to round two, where 12 went clear to battle it out in the jump-off. Just six of the 12 remained fault-free; Hopkins and Coconut BW were the fastest of these in a time of 30.59 for the win.

The runner-up was Caroline O’Sullivan’s Belgian-bred mare Cushlas Corlea Z (Cornado II Z x Chiwago) with Robyn Moran in the saddle. They crossed the finish line in 30.71. Third went to Gabriel Slattery riding his own home-bred gelding Castlelawn Dan (Castlelawn Captain x Kannan) in 32.87. Isabel Fitzpatrick rode her own Dutch-bred gelding Ozzie (Comthago x Lupicor) into fourth place in 32.92, while Nicholas Butler and his family’s home-bred gelding Crossriver Lackavrea (Phil VD Wezelse Heihieve x Askoll Peter Pan) slotted into fifth place in 33.04.

The Susan Malee-owned and bred stallion Carrabeg The Full Irish (Ardcolum Duke x Flexabill) took sixth place in 33.21 with Katharina Wildling in the saddle.