McIvor working on educating grooms

CO Down’s Alison McIvor, director of Show Grooms International, visited Bordeaux to meet her clients and catch up with owners. The mother of three who founded her company in 2012 places grooms in Europe, USA and beyond. A former five-star international groom herself, Alison knows every aspect of the industry. “It is important to have new grooms trained and coming on for the future so education is very important. I give lectures to groups and individuals and will be speaking soon to students at CAFRE college. Presenting horses for top competition and looking after them is an art in itself,” she commented.

Deusser primed for Wellington, Florida

DANIEL Deusser and Bingo Ste Hermelle not only won Friday’s international class but they also finished fifth in Sunday’s Audi Grand Prix. Deusser was delighted to return to the show after the Covid-enforced break and is planning three weeks of competition in Wellington, Florida. “I think there are more people here than ever, I was delighted to win the Prix FFE Generali on Bingo who is naturally very fast.”

Killer Queen and two other horses are already in Wellington and Deusser has already qualified for the FEI World Cup final in Omaha and he added a sixth place finish to his tally in Bordeaux with Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z.

Exciting Irish-bred

THE Irish Sport Horse Up Too Jacco Blue, bred by Mark Sherry and ridden by Austria’s Max Kuhner, was competing in Bordeaux. Sired by Chacco Blue out of the Ard VDL Douglas mare Celestial Up Too, the 12-year-old excelled last year and gave a good account of himself in two classes including the Audi Grand Prix.

Lynch in good form

DENIS Lynch performed with all three of his horses in Bordeaux. The 10-year-old stallion Vistogrand, recently acquired from Shane Breen, was clear in a 1.50m, while his world championship mount, Brooklyn Heights, was seventh in the FEI World Cup with a brilliant double clear round. He also rode Mr Boombastic for the first time at an international; the nine-year-old bay gelding is owned and normally ridden by his wife, Julia Lynch. The pair were sixth in Sunday’s 1.50m Accumulator.

Coming to Dublin

CARSTEN Soerlie is an international judge for this year’s RDS Dublin Horse Show and looking forward to his first visit. Officiating in Bordeaux, the Norwegian-born judge, now living in Sweden, has a full schedule for 2023 including Doha in two weeks’ time. “I love the traditional shows like Dublin. It has a wonderful grass arena and it will be my first time to judge there. I am looking forward to it and the Nations Cup event. I have found out my ancestors are in Ireland so it looks like they were Vikings!” he said with a laugh.