LAST weekend was the final chance to qualify for the National show jumping classes at this year’s Balmoral Show. Competition was fierce, as riders battled it out for the final four places on offer in the five-year-old championship, the six and seven-year-old championship and the 1.35m championship.

Qualifiers in Portmore, Kernans and The Meadows throughout March had seen a dozen places filled, so there were just four more each on offer in Cavan.

Luxity was the star in last Sunday’s feature, the 1.35m qualifier. The 11-year-old gelding was ridden by Lee Carey. He is by OBOS Quality 004, out of Tullibards Lux Sensational, by Lux Z, was bred by John Mulvey and is owned by John Carey.

Just 10 of the 61 starters produced a double clear round in the two-phase competition, which offered a prize fund of €2,000.

Lucy Shanahan and Sandra Devine’s Belgian-bred gelding Mister Brown Di Magico (Emerald van T Ruytershof x Latano) provided the first double clear as the second pair in. They stopped the clock at 33.29 to set the pace. This round saw them finish in eventual seventh place.

Carey posted his winning round as 39th to go aboard Luxity. They broke the finish beams at 33.29 for the win.

Junior Kian Dore rode his father Carl’s nine-year-old Belgian-bred mare Hermies VH Bergerhof Z (Hermes De Lux x Clearway) into the runner-up spot in 33.30.

Gillian Kerr’s 10-year-old mare Deloughtane Matoaka (Tolan R x Clover Hill), which was bred by John Walsh and Susan Malee, was guided into third place by Jonathan Smyth in 33.78.

Katie McEntee and Samantha Dale’s Roundthorn Hercules (Colestus x Manhattan) took fourth place in 34.29, while Aoife Owens rode her own, Brian O’Reilly-bred gelding Omard Connery (O.B.O.S. Quality 004 x HHS BR Charlton) into fifth in 37.13.

Harry Marshall and his own mare Daylight VHS Z (Douglas x Indorado) completed the top-six in 38.98.

Lee Carey on Luxity, winner of the 1.35m Balmoral Qualifier at Cavan on Sunday, April 14th \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

Five-year-old qualifier

Peter Diamond’s home-bred mare Rochdan Candy, ridden by Lauren Murphy, won the first class of the day, the five-year-old qualifier to secure them their ticket to Balmoral.

By Sligo Candy Boy, out of Nellies Clover, by Captain Clover, Murphy and Rochdan Candy provided consistent clear rounds during their four-year-old season and have recently moved up to 1.20m. Their second round time of 32.72 secured them the win.

Junior Aidan O’Brien rode Canadian-based international rider Daniel Coyle’s Stracomers Casall into second place in a time of 33.41. By Rolf-Goran Bengtsson’s international mount Casall la Silla, he is out of Calandra Z, by Cobra and was bred by Erin Fergus.

Shane Treanor and Katheryne McCracken’s Mallbeck (Air Jordan Z x Kashmir Van Schuttershof) bred by Brian Clinghan finished third in 34.76.

Lough Scur Hero (Ganesh Hero Z x Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan), owned and bred by Seamus Tighe, was ridden into fourth by John Mulligan and earned the final qualifying spot in 35.30.

Conor Fitzgerald and his own Francine (Sligo Candy Boy x Je t’Aime Flamenco), bred by Dermot O’Sullivan took fifth place, while Richard Kerins rode his own Dutch-bred Orca (I’m Special De Muze x Voltaire) into sixth.

Six- and seven-year-olds

The Elite Equine and Duffy Group Ireland-sponsored six- and seven-year-old 1.30m Balmoral qualifier was won by junior Kian Dore aboard Edel Dore’s six-year-old Cape Tribulation (Womanizer x Cruising). Bred by Peter Killeen, the gelding has a consistent record, competing at the Dublin Horse Show as a four- and a five-year-old.

Their second round time of 30.28 proved fastest of the 24 double clears from the starting field of 52.

Thomas Foley’s seven-year-old gelding Roger De Mariposa (Vagabond De La Pomme x Air Jordan Z), with Brendan Murphy in the saddle, took the runner-up spot in 30.73.

Third place went to Clare Abbott with her own six-year-old Gareth Carlisle-bred mare Mt Luxaan (Cazaan x Lux Z). They stopped the clock at 31.48.

The fourth and last qualifying place was awarded to Jodie Creighton, when she guided Brian Hutchinson’s home-bred SVS Zinno (Dino W x Zirocco Blue VDL) into fourth in 32.67.

Kathleen’s Candy Clover (Sligo Candy Boy x Green Road Tulip), owned by Bernard Reynolds, bred by Kathleen O’Reilly and ridden by John Mulligan were fifth, while Cavan resident rider Mervyn Clarke Jnr and Heinrich Anhold’s Swedish-bred mare Concordia Humlan completed the top-six.

1.35m

Saturday’s 1.35m worth €1,500 was won by Brendan Murphy aboard Linda Courtney’s LCC Emerald Vigo (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Emerald Innovative), bred by Donnacha Quinn. The duo recorded a time of 39.42 to take the top-spot.

Second place went to Derry O’Donovan’s Lux Like Clover One (Lux Z x Clover Hill), ridden by Corinne Hyde, into a second round time of 39.68.

Amanda Lynch’s Belgian-bred Otis Van Het Weyenshof (Kannan x Cabochon) was third in 39.70, while fourth went to young rider Alex Finney with Eamon Bishop’s L’Esprit Hero Z (Lexicon x For Pleasure) in 40.13.

Tori Dunne and Patrick O’Donoghue’s Ballypatrick-bred BP Maestro (Diamant De Semilly x ARS Vivendi) were fifth in 40.37, while Katie McEntee and Samantha Dale’s Roundthorn Hercules finished sixth.

Amateur qualifier

The amateur qualifier on Saturday offered five places in Balmoral, and a very large field of 120 lined out. A total of 42 combinations managed a double clear round.

Tara Brandon and Ice Cream VDT were the fastest of these, taking the top spot in a time of 36.25.

Niamh McFall riding Rose Of Lennon were second in 36.47, while Kate Emily Logan and Captain Kelly were third in 37.32.

Fourth place went to Caitlin Duffy and Jockeyhall Midas Touch, and Maire Cosgrove riding Briarhill Cruis Rua took fifth and the final qualifying place.