GARRYNDRUIG Limoncello was ridden to victory by Aimee Barry for the third weekend in-a-row, when the pair captured the 1.35m Autumn Grand Prix at JAG Equestrian in Co Kildare last Sunday.

Owned by Joe Barry and bred by Geri McGeoghan-Santry, this 10-year-old mare is by Amaretto Darco, out of Garryndruig Cruising Akademi, by Cruising.

They won the class, worth €2,000, by a large margin of over three seconds to add this win to the two others they captured in Cavan and Millstreet earlier this month.

“I’m so delighted with how she is going. Three weekends in a row…., she has been fantastic.

"The plan now is a bit up in the air. I’d love to bring her to Hollypark for the 1.40m SJI Autumn Grand Prix there, but I’m in my final year in veterinary in Dublin, so I’m fairly flat out. I’m trying to juggle it all, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

“She is so naturally quick across the ground. I jumped the first fence yesterday and it was like she knew she was in the jump-off. She landed and she was gone before I could even recover from the fence, she’s just so clever. She loves it, she jumps better at a fast pace. I can really trust her, she is so careful. She does not want to touch a pole.

“I was contemplating taking a stride out to the last, but then I thought I had done enough at the start of the track and I decided not to risk it. I got a really nice distance to the second and she was in a great rhythm, so I was just able to let her keep that up the whole way around and I knew we had done enough.

“We will definitely be at the November show in Cavan and I’ll try my best to be there on Wednesday,” a delighted Aimee told The Irish Field.

Jump-off

Some 21 combinations lined out for the class, of these just seven managed to produce a clear in the first round to progress to the jump-off.

Junior Kian Dore and Castlefield Breeding Farm’s Mr Castlefield (Heartbreak ZH x Faust Z) were first to go against the clock.

They set the pace in a very fast 34.04 seconds, but with one fence on the ground for four faults. Despite this, they still claimed fifth place as the fastest four-faulters.

Second to go was Derek McConnell and his own mare Longfield Quinlui (Quintender x Luidam). They posted the first double clear in a time of 34.55, which would see them take third place.

Anna Carway and her own Dutch-bred gelding Ajaccio were next. They also managed to leave all the fences intact, but in a slightly slower 38.75 for fourth place.

Elliott Reeves and Anne Bannon’s Gorsehill Ruby (Flex A Bill x Hermes De Reve) had one fence down in 39.80, which put them into sixth place.

Junior Matthew Farrell riding LKD Mini Q (O.B.O.S Quality 004 x Aldatus Z), bred by Thomas Minogue, produced a fault-free round, stopping the clock at 37.66, which would see the pair take the runner-up spot.

Barry was sixth to go aboard Garryndruig Limoncello. Their clear round in 34.55 shot them straight into the lead, with just one rider remaining.

Last to go was Alex Donohoe and Pierce Doyle’s home-bred seven-year-old Kilcoltrim Krishna (Kannan x Cruising). They had two down in 47.15, which left them just outside the money in seventh.