THE final chance to qualify for the Avonmore Stables Summer Classic Final was held at River Lodge Equestrian in Wexford on Thursday afternoon. An impressive list of riders, plus the addition of Alan Wade as course designer, meant the stage was set for what would turn out to be a fantastic day of jumping.
Young rider Brendan Murphy and Alan Robertson’s 10-year-old Numero Uno gelding Immun Ocean Ogara topped the evening’s 1.45m class where five of the 16 starters managed double clear rounds.
Murphy had the slight advantage of being last to go and used it well, producing an accurate efficient round of jumping and stopping the clock in 36.96 seconds to secure the win.
Following victory seven days earlier, Edward Doyle finished just behind him with Peadar Byrne’s Cruise Mor taking second place in 37.66. Daren Hopkins and another 10-year-old by Numero Uno, this time Leo Carey’s stallion Numero Cruise, were third while Kayleigh Soden and Ard Leaderman slotted into fourth and Tholm Keane riding BMH Big Time produced the only other double clear for fifth.
Win for EMS Adelaide
There was a high standard of jumping in the 1.35m competition where 20 of the 54 starters produced double clear rounds. Yet another young rider, Sean Monaghan proved best of these when he steered Daisy Duggan’s seven-year-old Mermus R mare EMS Adelaide to the win in a fast time of 29.11
Francis Connors was runner-up aboard Hugh Fitzpatrick’s eight-year-old Erne Mountain Dew (Lux Z x Aldato). Mikey Pender finished in both third and fourth places, taking third with his own eight-year-old Swedish-bred gelding by Chacco Blue, Zhardas Kil, and fourth with the Bravo Hughes Ltd’s Diamino Blue, who is by Diarado and out of a Chacco Blue mare called Hauptstutbuch.
Nicholas Connors and yet another by Chacco Blue, Ann Connors’ stallion Holy Blue, took fifth place while junior rider Leah Stack riding Cavalier Teaca completed the top-six.
HHS Apollo victorious
The five- and six-year-old class, the largest of the day, saw 66 go to post. Of these, an impressive 34 managed a clean sheet through both rounds of jumping. Shane Dalton and Clare Hughes’ six-year-old gelding HHS Apollo (Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Aldato) were fastest in the timed decider, securing the top-spot in 26.68.
Kate Derwin and Carol Gee’s Fernhill Check Your Pockets (Simba x Cavalier Royale) were runners-up in 27.99. Mikey Pender continued to ensure his presence in almost every one of the day’s winning line-ups when he slotted into third place with another by Emerald Van ‘T Ruytershof, the Bravo Hughes-owned Eireann LVS Z.
Fourth went to Adam Carey and his own five-year-old Luidam mare Luicruz, while Daniel McAlinden and Alan Briscoe’s Cohiba By Picobello (Cornet Obolensky x Arezzo VDL) were fifth. Pender and Marion Hughes’ five-year-old gelding HHS Good Times (Sheikh IT x Chameur) took sixth.
Vincent Byrne and the Belgian-bred stallion Quality Time Van Het Heieinde (Elvis Ter Putte -Kashmir Van Schuttershof) won the four-year-old qualfier.
Meabh Bolger and MBF Back to Back were runners-up while DJ O’Sullivan riding Shannondale Anzac (Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan x Lux Z) took third place.
The finals will be held on August 21st and 22nd with the Friday night class under lights. The Karlswood Grand Prix Series features The Hive Insurance 1.45m Grand Prix (€16,500 prize money) and the Jim Derwin Equestrian 1.35m Grand Prix. The Irish Horse Gateway Young Horse Series features the RP Stables four-year-olds and the Higgins & MBF Sport horses five- and six-year-olds. The leading rider of the series will win a custom CWD Classic saddle which is sponsored by Equijump and CWD.