NIAMH McEvoy gave a fabulous display of competition riding when she captured the top-three places in the €15,000 1.50m Plusvital Premier Grand Prix at the Irish Breeders’ Classic show in Barnadown last Sunday.
The Tyrone native placed first, second and third in the 29-strong class, which saw eight progress to the timed jump-off.
McEvoy took the win riding Greg Broderick’s 10-year-old Dutch-bred gelding Jargon DN (Blue VDL x Indoctro), breaking the beams in 44.58 seconds.
The pair have been knocking on the door for a while, having taken second place in the 1.50m Premier Grand Prix in Tattersalls last July, as well as finishing in sixth place in Balmoral in 2023.
She was runner-up aboard Luisa Horta Osorio’s Portuguese-bred mare Jasmin da Hermida (Milton du Murier x Papillon Rouge) and took third with Northstar Sport Horses’ eight-year-old gelding Pablo C (Pollux De Muze Z x Pacino) who was bred by Jordan Campbell.
Commenting on the win, McEvoy said: “I was delighted with the results. We got Jargon last year, Greg bought him from Jamie Landers. He’s been such an amazing horse.
“He’s got such scope and he has an amazing temperament, all he really wants is to just please. It took a while to get everything together with him; he’s a big scopey horse, but these last few weeks, he feels like he’s been on really top-form. We are really excited about the future for him. He did Dublin recently, that was his first really big step up and I feel he really proved himself there. Hopefully, there will be a few nice shows ahead of him now.
“He has his own way of doing things, he has so much scope he gives you a great feeling. I’m mad about him. He’s so careful, he just wants to clear everything. He makes you feel confident that you could ride him down to anything. It feels easy for him. He’s definitely a five-star horse of the future.
“We had a great weekend. The team at Barnadown ran such a great show. That arena is one of the best you could jump on. My horses loved the ground; it’s like they are on springs. Maurice (Cousins) looks after it so well. The courses are great. It is all organised really well.”
McEvoy continued: “The horse I was second on, Jasmin da Hermida, is owned by a girl who came over from Portugal to train with Greg, Luisa Horta Osorio. She jumped Jasmin in Ireland last year and had great success with her. She has returned back home now, but comes back often to watch Jasmin compete, she bred the mare herself.
“I began riding her at the start of this year. I took her to Spain and she was really consistent. I took her to the Europeans and she was really good there. She did her first 1.60m in Dublin and really stepped up. She’s a really kind horse. She tries every time you go into the ring. She’ll do anything to jump clear for you, she has a great mind.
“Pablo C is in a league of his own. For an eight-year-old, I would say he is one of the most exciting youngsters I’ve ever ridden. He is fantastic. He is so rideable and so trainable. He is so smart.
“Sophie (Richards) had him and then Charlotte (Jacobs) bought him as a five-year-old after Lanaken. He competed in Ireland as a six-year-old with Charlotte and then he went to the States for a while. He then came back here for some more training.”
Decider
The Army Equitation School’s Commandant Geoff Curran was first to go against the clock as the fastest four-faulter from round one, with the Minister for Defence’s Temple Manor (Sligo Candy Boy x Lux Z), bred by Noel Wright. They left all the fences intact second time out, stopping the clock at 45.03, which would be good enough for eventual fifth place.
Timmy Brennan was second to go, riding Tim Brennan’s Diadema Della Caccia (Diamant De Semilly x Cardento). They had both parts of the double down plus two for time to finish on 10 faults, just inside the money in eighth place.
With three into the jump-off, McEvoy moved up to go third with Jargon DN. They produced a superb second clear round in a time of 44.58 to head proceedings and put it up to the remaining five.
James Brennan was next to have a go, riding the home-bred MHS I’m The One (Lancelot x Cavalier Royale). An attempted tight turn into the double did not work out and the pair collected four faults for a stop there and then added eight for time to finish on 12 in seventh.
Comdt Curran and his second mount, Hawthorn Hill, came into the jump-off carrying a single time fault. They proceeded to add a further five time penalties in round two for eventual sixth place.
Cathal Daniels and his own Cappog Tomy (Camiro De Haar Z x S Creevagh Ferro Ex Siebe), bred by Tommy Reilly, collected a single time fault as next to go; this saw them capture fourth place.
McEvoy was second last to go with her second mount Pablo C. They produced a second clear round, stopping the clock at 45.40 for third place.
Last to go was McEvoy and her final mount, Jasmine da Hermida, they too were foot-perfect and slotted into second place in 44.71.
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