THE brilliant Irish Sport Horse Merlins Magic passed away last week at the age of 27.

The Furisto gelding, who was bred by Peter T Reilly, was a multiple winner on the national circuit in Ireland and internationally when ridden by Francis Connors, Sweden’s Stephanie Finetto and, in the later years of his competition life, by Galway’s Stephen Moore.

In what was a full-circle story, Merlins Magic started his career at the Moore family’s Rockmount Riding Centre in Claregalway when, owned by Willie Fahy, he was produced and competed as a young horse by Stephen’s father David. He represented Ireland at the FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken, Belgium, on two occasions with David in the saddle before being sold to Highfort Stud.

He then competed up to 1.60m internationally with Finetto and Francis Connors, who won multiple times with the imposing chesnut, including the Grand Prix in Millstreet in 2007.

The Green Glens Arena was a happy hunting ground as it was here, in 2014, that he won the one-star Grand Prix under young rider Stephen Moore, who got the horse a year earlier. Merlin helped take Stephen’s career to the next level and, when he eventually based himself in America, Merlin happily lived out his days at Rockmount under the care of David and Verran Moore.