NEW Zealand’s Sam Lissington followed up her win at Ballindenisk in April with a double from four rides at Millstreet last weekend. In both instances, she led from the outset.

In this 33-runner class, Wiltshire-based Lissington claimed the honours with Quantas R who, as a last minute decision, had contested the CCI3*-S at Ballindenisk. Since then, the seven-year-old Hanoverian gelding ran twice in Britain, most recently winning an Intermediate class at Tweseldown. He is owned by the High Flyers Syndicate most of whom were present at Millstreet apart from one living in New Zealand and one based in Portugal.

By Qualito out of the Grey Top mare Galaxy R, Quantas R impressed Ireland’s John Lyttle (C) and Marie Hennessy (E) in Thursday’s dressage phase as both had him top of their individual rankings for a combined penalty score of 26.3. The grey’s nearest rivals at this stage, and throughout, were the seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Mosstown (29.2), ridden by Britain’s Caroline Harris, and the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding All Or Nothing (29.9) partnered by Hong Kong’s Yu Xuan Su.

Six horses had problems in jumping over the Paul Brady-designed cross-country course on Friday while seven others fell foul of the clock. Among that latter group was Quantas R who picked up 1.6 time penalties, reducing Lissington’s lead over her rivals going into the final phase. Happily, and to the delight of his supporters, Quantas R was clear within the time over the coloured poles to win on 27.9.

Harris completed on her dressage score to place second with Cooley Mosstown (29.2) and, while he had one fence down and some time penalties to drop to ninth with All Or Nothing, Su held on to third place as the ISH gelding Spypark Ferro Xs, a 14-year-old bay by S Creevagh Ferro, show jumped clear to complete on his dressage score (31.9). Ireland-based British international Daniel Alderson finished sixth with Freda Kirwan’s nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Global Javall Gold (32.2), just a place ahead of Ireland’s Clare Abbott on the ISH gelding Drumnaconnell Kobie (33.1). Both completed on their first phase scores.

A very fit Lawrence Patterson could be seen following Abbott and his home-bred Road To Happiness seven-year-old as they crossed from one side of the avenue to the other and as they headed for the finish.

“Kobie jumped a class double clear!” commented Abbott. “The dressage is still a work in progress but I’ve only had him three months and in that time he’s come on superbly. In another three months time he’ll be a different calibre again. That’s his Le Lion 2*-L box ticked so he’ll do a 3*-S next time out.”