Eventing Kilguilkey \ Margie McLoone

THE heavy rain which caused the cancellation of the first Kilguilkey House International was definitely a distant memory in the lead-up to last Sunday’s national one-day event at the Co Cork venue as 200,000 gallons of water were spread on the dressage area, the show jumping rings and the cross-country tracks.

“It was hard work but well worth it,” said Danny Dulohery, cross country-course builder and host of the fixture with his wife Michelle, the event secretary. “The ground was so hard it took us 16 hours with the aggravator as we had to take it slowly. Luckily, we have a huge tank here which collects rainwater but this is going to become an issue with some venues in the future.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had as many riders come up to us personally on the day, or by text or email, to thank us for providing such good ground at the event with many of them saying it was the best ground they had encountered all year. What I do the morning after an event is to ring around a few riders to see how their horses are. On Monday, those I rang all reported their horses to be sound.

“Michelle and I are taking time off to go up to Dublin for the show to do a bit of socialising over the first couple of days then it’s back here on Friday as we are running an unaffiliated event on Sunday. If there was the demand for it, and the weather was obliging, we would be open to running a third EI event at the end of the season but the demand would have to be there.”

By then, Danny should be moving well as he is heading into hospital on Thursday for a double hip replacement. “I may not be entirely level when it’s done but I hope I won’t be limping as much!”

Great job

One person who would relish the prospect of another event at Kilguilkey this year is Gillian Beale King who has ridden a winner each time she has competed at the Duloherys’ equestrian centre but one, and, on that occasion, she was third on her only ride.

She partnered three of the eight starters in Sunday’s EI120 and brought up a hat trick at the venue on Richard Ames’s Chance Encounter VII who opened his Kilguilkey account with a win in the EI115 (Open) in June and then followed up with victory in the CCI3*-L there last month.

Beale King shared the top spot after the Joan Ahern-judged dressage phase on 31.9 penalties with Joseph Murphy whose mount, The Quizmaster, briefly dropped to third with a pole down show jumping as Cathal Daniels’s clear round on Rioghan Rua moved them up to second on 32.4. However, the chesnut mare picked up six time penalties across the country as both Chance Encounter and The Quizmaster were clear inside the time to finish first (31.9) and second (35.9).

“I really love Kilguilkey!” said Beale King. “I’m really comfortable riding here and Michelle and Danny are so helpful. It’s really great to get to know a venue and the layout of the land.

“The Advanced track was really inviting and Danny did a great job of mixing some of the fences from the International. They did a wonderful job with the ground which was the best I have galloped on all year.”

Again with four show jumping penalties, Murphy had to settle for third on Lisanley (35.6) in the six-runner EI115 (Open).

Here, Dominic Furnell riding his own Dutch Warmblood gelding Horlepiep and Daniel Meagher on A Classic Sportsfield completed on their joint-winning dressage score (28.4) with Furnell taking the honours as he came home a second closer to the optimum time across the country.