HAVING ridden five horses at Tullymurry 1 and with six in action at the Kilguilkey House International this weekend, it may well have looked as if Cathal Daniels was taking it easy last Saturday with just one runner, and one winner, at Tullmurry 2 – but nothing could be further from the truth.

“I jumped eight horses over Friday and Saturday at National Balmoral and we stayed at The Meadows. On the Saturday, myself and Manvendra Singh, who’s from India and is based and training with me, headed over to Tullymurry, where I won the EI110 on Shannondale Micah and he jumped a double clear inside the time to finish seventh in the EI100 on Tullibards Bennys Optima.”

Daniels’s victory in the 13-runner EI110 is easily described as he completed on his Coreen Abernethy-awarded winning dressage score with Sarah Hughes’ Irish Sport Horse gelding Shannondale Micah (26 penalties). Jumping double clears on both, Steven Smith was one second over the time across the country to finish second on Carrickview Calvani (31.2), while he placed third on Newferry Aga Kann, whose total of 34.6, included 1.6 for time on the final leg.

“Although this horse is seven, he has been lightly-campaigned,” said Daniels of the winning Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan chesnut. “He was bred by Martin Walsh (out of the Lux Z mare Shannondale Maria) and is a full-brother to Shannondale Percy (CCI4*-S) and Shannondale Mari (CCI4*-S).

“The plan is to try and get selected for Le Lion but, even then, he’ll only go if we feel he’s ready. This is a lovely horse, very talented and he has nearly always been placed. He has all the attributes to be a top horse, being flashy in his dressage, a very good jumper and quick across the country. He’s one of six horses I’m bringing to Kilguilkey (this weekend), where he’ll run in the 2*-L. I was very impressed with the way they changed the cross-country at Tullymurry from the previous weekend,” continued Daniels.

“They almost reversed it entirely, basically going in the opposite direction, and this meant meeting more fences on a downhill run compared to the previous Saturday. The surface in the arena is great to jump on and it was a lovely event.”