HOLLYPARK Galloway and Tim MacDonagh won their first Grand Prix of 2021 when they topped the table in the third round of the 1.40m Gain Alltech National Grand Prix in Galway last Sunday.

Owned by Jackie Lee, this 11-year-old gelding is by Castlelawn Galloway, out of Whitestown Diamond by Diamond Lad. He was purchased as a foal at the Cavan Sales and was broken and produced by MacDonagh.

The pair moved up to competing at 1.50m in 2019 and during that year won the New Heights Grand Prix (Premier Series) in Omagh in July, as well as the National Grand Prix in Mullingar in August.

Consistent results throughout that year saw the pair finish in second place overall in the 1.40m league as well as in third in a 1.50m Premier Series.

Speaking after Sunday’s win, Galway-based MacDonagh said: “I’m delighted with how he (Hollypark Galloway) went. It was a tough enough track, there weren’t that many clears. When I walked the track I didn’t realise that it would ride as tough as it did.

“When I went into the jump-off there hadn’t been any clears yet, but I knew that Michelle (Kenny) was coming after me so I had to mind the time. The horse jumped really well, he has a big stride and he goes much better when you’re pushing him forward.

“I had a plan to go in and keep a bit tight, the arena is on a bit of a slant so I went tight back to the third fence, and then again to the double and was able to keep a good forward pace, so I think that kept the pressure on Michelle.

“There were a couple of new fences and it was a bit flashy in the arena. There was a sponsor car on display in there, so maybe that had an effect on some horses, but the faults seemed to come all over. I think it was just good course building too, Tom Holden does very good technical courses.”

MacDonagh will jump the first Premier Series of the year next weekend and hopes to go to mainland Europe later in the summer. “My plan now is to do the Premier class in Barnadown this weekend and keep following the series through the summer.

“I’m hoping to get away at the end of the summer, we’ll just have to see how things work out with the restrictions. I have two good horses for the bigger classes as well as a very nice six-year-old, Galwaybay Dynamite (Diamant de Semilly - Heartbreaker).

“We’ve been lucky that we had a lot of young horses to bring on so I’ve been kept really busy so the lockdown wasn’t so bad for us.

“We couldn’t get the young horses out to anywhere and we’ve a lot of hunters so we really missed the hunting, but it did give us a great chance to spend time doing the youngsters.”

Tough first round

A starting field of 47 presented for the 1.40m Tom Holden-designed class which offered a prize fund of €4,000.

Just five managed to produce a clear first round to progress to the timed decider. MacDonagh proved fastest of these stopping the clock at 37.76 to take the win.

Michelle Kenny and Daisy Duggan’s 11-year-old stallion Indoctaire, by Indoctro out of Venus (Voltaire), took the runner-up prize with the only other double clear round in a slower time of 41.48.

Brendan Murphy and Sandra Duffy’s nine-year-old gelding Over Lux (Lux Z x Cruising) were third as the fastest four falters in 41.48. Kevin Gallagher guided GBBS Ltd and Ennisnag Stud’s 10-year-old gelding ESI Star Struck (Lamm De Fetan x Tampa) to fifth place with four faults in 44.91 seconds, while Mikey Pender and Bravo Hughes Ltd’s eight-year-old Indoctro gelding HHS Vancouver took fifth.

Richard Kerins finished in sixth and seventh place aboard his two mounts, Korena Byrne’s gelding Small Change (Pacino x Poltarf) and Pat Gallagher’s mare Carralavin Cruise (Ringfort Cruise x Coille Mor Hill) when they produced the two fastest four faults from round one.

The next and fourth round of the Gain Alltech National Grand Prix league takes place this weekend at Barndown.

The Wexford venue will also play host to the first round of the 1.50m Horse Sport Ireland Premier Series.