NEWLY crowned Olympic gold medallist Laura Collett, together with fellow senior international Izzy Taylor are just some of the eventing superstars lining up at the Lisgarvan international fixture in Co Carlow next weekend. The British pair spearhead an entry list that features 13 individual nations, among which are riders from America, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand and Spain.

This is no mean feat for an event still in its infancy and, with a waiting list already in place, it is a feather in the cap for the hosting Corrigan family.

“We are delighted with the entry we have received in this our second year and I think this is testament to the huge amount of work the whole team continues to do behind the scenes,” said Clive Corrigan. “The event as a whole is continuing to develop and grow, and this year we are working on building a trade village/country fair, which will include a dog show and dog agility displays, which will provide entertainment for the whole family.”

A significant factor in the event’s popularity is the Paul Brady-designed cross-country tracks, which run over open galloping ground and offer plenty of distance without being too twisty. This year, these will follow much the same routes, but questions will be varied, and a new loop after the first water complex will be used in the four- and three-star long format classes.

In degrees of difficulty, the four-star will be slightly ramped up, both in terms of technically and demand, while the emphasis in the lower classes will be educationally-based.

Looking at the entries, it is as has been the trend this year, a little disappointing to note the scarcity of riders willing to take on the long format classes. That said, the organisers are creditably committed to staging these important sectors and, with the absence of Blair Castle next year, it is hoped Lisgarvan will be the beneficiaries.

“The modest long format entries have followed a similar pattern to the early days of Camphire,” recalled Paul Brady, before adding that, in the subsequent years, these increased significantly.

Classy entries

The most prestigious class of the weekend is likely to be the Connolly’s Red Mills-sponsored CCI4*-S, which sports an entry list of 41 runners in what appears to be a very open contest. Izzy Taylor and the Italian Olympian Giovanni Ugolotti are both double-handed and, while Laura Collett looks to hold a strong hand with Hester, it is the home-side that should emerge as favourites.

Heading a strong Irish contingent, Cathal Daniels (Rioghan Rua) will be keen to capitalise on their runner-up placing in the equivalent class at Kilguilkey recently, while his partner Jenny Kuehnle is well-mounted with the very experienced Sammy Davis Junior and Polly Blue Eyes.

Local rider Sam Watson will put up a good showing with his Millstreet long format winner, Ballyneety Rocketman, as will Ian Cassells and Robbie Kearns, who are set to ride no less than seven live prospects between them.

All eight classes are very generously sponsored and this much-appreciated support is recognised by Corrigan. “We are very grateful for the sponsorship we have received and are delighted and excited to welcome new sponsors this year - without their support, it would be impossible to stage the international,” he said.

Younger horses

With selections for the world young horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers on the horizon, the Cooley Farms CCIYH2* for six and seven-year-olds is likely to be a highly competitive affair.

With just over 30 runners, the field is very open, but catching the eye are the in-form Cathal Daniels with his recent dual winner, Independent Article.

From Co Wexford, Noel Dunne is another who has hit the heights with the former RDS winner Kief Rhapsody of Belline, while other notables include Steven Smith, Clare Abbott and Sarah Ennis.

Another interesting new class, due to be staged on Friday evening, is the Lisgarvan House Event Masters - a class developed to showcase four and five-year-old horses with the potential to excel as event horses. All of these will have attended specially organised training sessions and, on subsequent selection, have been whittled down to 15 entrants in each sector.

Finally, the team at Lisgarvan House International are looking forward to welcoming everyone over the course of the weekend and, as Clive Corrigan summed up: “We wish all our competitors the very best of luck and hope they have a very enjoyable experience while they are with us.”