GCS Ita, owned by Tim Brennan and ridden by Jason Foley, were the winners of the prestigious €3,500 five- and six-year-old mares HSI Studbook Final at Cavan Equestrian on Sunday afternoon.

When you call a mare after one of the most influential people in Irish Sport Horse breeding, you need to be sure that she will be worthy of it, and GCS Ita seems to be on the right track.

Impressive bloodlines

By OBOS Quality and out of MHS Attraction, both five-star competitors themselves, this six-year-old mare’s impressive bloodline shows all the signs of shining through.

She won the five and six-year-old consolation class at the 2020 Irish Breeders’ Classic show with Ger O’Neill and got plenty of mileage this season.

Her jump-off time of 34.84 placed her comfortably ahead of her closest rival and runner-up, the five-year-old mare Castleforbes Fedora (Cornet Obolensky x Germino D’Elle) with Cian Goggins on board. They were clear in 35.29.

Seamus Hughes Kennedy and his mother Clare’s six-year-old mare Castlefield Hera, who has no breeding recorded, were third in 35.64, while Orla Cassidy, riding her own five-year-old mare Whitetree Endeavour (Vancouver x Telling Tales) was fourth in 35.64.

Fifth went to Paul Beecher and Seryna Van Kuelen’s six-year-old mare SVS Sensation (Emerald van’t Ruytershof x Vincenzo), ahead of Aoife Dooley who partnered Maurice Cousins’ five-year-old mare Boleybawn Rigaletto (Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet x Luidam) to sixth.