CHINA’s Alex Hua Tian has put the aftermath of last year’s Olympic qualifier at Millstreet behind him and at Ballindenisk last Sunday secured his individual qualification for Paris when achieving his 2024 4*-S MER on both horses he competed in the NutriScience-sponsored class.

England-based Hua Tian won on the Irish-bred Chicko (34.5), the horse whose failed blood test resulted in the disqualification of the Chinese team from that Olympic qualifier, and finished ninth with Jilsonne Van Bareelhof (44.7). Both horses picked up time penalties over Sunday’s cross-country course, as did all but three of the 34 who completed the three phases from 41 starters.

Co Cork’s Felicity Ward finished second on her dressage score with James O’Callaghan’s 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Regal Bounty (35.1); Co Meath’s Sarah Ennis was a second over the time to place third on the ISH mare Action Lady M (35.6), who is owned by Andrew Cox and her breeder Susanne Macken; Co Down’s Joseph Murphy slotted into fourth with the syndicate-owned Brandenburg gelding Calmaro (37.4).

Clear on the final phase like Ward were Co Carlow’s Sam Watson on his own traditionally-bred ISH gelding Ballyneety Rocketman, whose total of 38.5 included 0.8 of a show jumping time penalty, and England-based Irish international Padraig McCarthy with the Breeders Elite-registered Pomp N Circumstance (39.7).

Owned by Peter and Kate Willis, the 14-year-old Lougherne Corea gelding Chicko, who is also registered with BE/SIES, was bred in Co Down by John Reid, out of the Limmerick mare Rock Limited Edition, who comes from the family of Magennis (CCI5*-L) and Sambuca (Olympic Games dressage). He was backed at Jonny and Clare Steele’s Riverhill Stud before being sold.

Grateful

“I’m very grateful to Polly Stockton, who gave me the ride on Chicko at the end of 2022,” said Hua Tian. “He is a real workhorse, who really knows his job. I knew I could bounce him out of the start-box, unlike ‘Chocs’, who likes to go quickly so sometimes you just have to slow him down. The cross-country course was good but a bit old-fashioned in places.

“I was worried how both horses would react to the third last fence, the bank, as they would never have jumped anything like that before. However, Peter Fell knows his land and his fences and it jumped perfectly. I was super happy with both horses!”

Riding at Osberton this weekend, Hua Tian is aiming both Chicko and Jilsonne Van Bareelhof at the 4*-S at Bramham in early June for their final Olympics prep.

“We were absolutely over the moon!” was Felicity Ward’s comment on her second-place finish with Regal Bounty. “Going there we were hoping for a top 10 finish then, when we heard about all the time penalties, I thought if I put in a fast round we might end up in the top five. I just couldn’t believe that in such a competitive field we finished second! Unfortunately, James couldn’t be at Ballindenisk, so there were a few emotional phone calls.

“We’re heading to Chatsworth next for the 4*-S and then perhaps Bramham, we’ll just wait and see. Regal Bounty is the only top horse I have and I have just one other eventer, EPA Orlaith, as I’m concentrating more on show jumping these days and producing young horses for sale.”