JAMES Brennan and MHS Jersey Girl won the €15,000 Millstreet Masters 1.45m speed class on Saturday morning at the CSI2* Millstreet International Horse Show.

At just 16 years of age, Brennan has achieved an impressive amount of international and national wins including a recent team gold medal at the FEI Junior European Championships in Italy.

Owned and bred by Sinead Brennan, the 12-year-old mare MHS Jersey Girl is by Cardento out of the Quidam Junior MHS Prime Time.

Speaking after the win, his father Tom Brennan spoke to The Irish Field. “MHS Jersey Girl is a very experienced mare she has been very good to all our kids. They’ve all won big classes on her.

“We also have some of her progeny; one of her eldest, a seven-year-old named MHS Cosmo, jumped in the Boomerang and was fantastic, he gave a real display. We’re delighted with him. We also have two five-year-olds from her and some embryos for this year.

“She is very, very fast across the ground. He (James) was able to take every turn on Saturday and every distance came up perfectly for him. She turned up to the second last with half a stride and she’s able to jump it. There’s very few horses like her; when she’s galloping you can still challenge her, scope is no problem at all. She respects what’s in front of her, she’s hard to beat.”

Well-bred

Speaking about the breeding, Brennan added: “She is very well related. Jersey Girl and Cuffesgrange Cavadora, who won the Grand Prix on Sunday with Seamus [Hughes Kennedy] are from the same family. They had the same great grandam.

“The boys [James and other son Timmy] have the final of the Junior Nations Cup in Sentower in Belgium in a few weeks, so they are hoping to get to that.

“Jersey Girl will do the Breeders’ Classic weekend, that will be the next thing for her, so hopefully she will be on-form there.”

Scores

Just 11 of the 49 starters posted a clear round over the one round track. Brennan was fastest of these in a time of 59.84 over three and a half seconds faster than his closest rival.

Daniel McAlinden partnered Sharon Fitzpatrick’s Keatingstown Z Wellie into the runner-up spot in 63.49. Third place went to Lee Carey and Niall Carey’s Luxity. Bred by John Mulvey, he is by OBOS Quality 004 out of a Lux Z mare. They stopped the clock at 67.05.

Brennan also accounted for fourth place aboard his other mount, MHS I’m The One (Lancelot x Cavalier Royale), who was bred by the rider’s grandmother, the late Ita Brennan.

European pony champion Paddy Reape and Creevagh Special (Camaro De Haar Z x Harlequin Du Carel), bred by Ronnie Hollinger, claimed fifth place while sixth went to Britain’s Faye Sutton riding Jacqueline Sutton’s Spider (Cardento 933 x Luidam), bred by Carl Cartwright.