JAKE Hunter won the feature 1.40m Cavan Grand Prix at the Cavan Indoor Championships last Sunday evening, riding Sandra Duffy/Ireland Horse Sport and Leisure Ltd’s Annaghmore Beach Cruise, a 12-year-old gelding by Beach Ball out of Annaghmore Soneike (Cruising).

The class was a culmination of six busy days of jumping at the venue, which also saw the successful Elite Foal Sale take place on Thursday night.

With €5,000 on offer, some 45 combinations lined out for the 1.40m class and 16 answered all the questions to progress to the timed decider. Of the 16, just four managed to keep a clean sheet in the jump-off. Hunter proved best of these in a time of 36.07 with the gelding bred by Sinead Healion.

Speaking after the win, the Mayo-based Australian rider told The Irish Field: “Vinny (Duffy) bought him as a three-year-old. He produced him, and for the last three or so years he has been ridden at 1.40m and 1.50m level by an Austrian young rider Josefina Goess-Saurau.

“He is just back a couple of weeks now. He’s lovely to ride. He’s very experienced and is very careful and very brave. He’s a fast horse.

“There were a lot of horses in the jump-off. I think I made up the time from fence three to four; I did one less there, and then was lucky to get a good turn back to the double.

“He was just fast enough everywhere I think. He has a big stride and is careful so you can trust him. At the moment we will just make a plan day-to-day for him and see how it plays out really.”

Strong team

Speaking about the week, Hunter, who rode in the five-star international classes at the Dublin Horse Show in August, added: “As a yard we had a great show in Cavan. My fellow team mate Lee Carey finished as runner-up with Luxity in the Grand Prix. Two others, Ardnacashal Coovella (Hannah O’Shea) and Chandler 9 (Maria Schou) both had clear rounds and I rode SFS Mirage, who is brand new to us and only landed on the Thursday of the show, to a clear also.

“Vinny (Duffy) also had a horse, CSF Andrew, who finished second in the big six and seven-year-old class on Saturday with Lee Carey so that was great.”

Runner-up

Second place in the feature Grand Prix went to the aforementioned Lee Carey riding Niall Carey’s 10-year-old gelding Luxity (O.B.O.S Quality 004 x Lux Z). Bred by John Mulvey the pair stopped the clock just slightly slower in 36.90.

Third place went to Aimee Barry riding her father Joe’s mare Garryndruig Limoncello (Amaretto Darco x Cruising), bred by Geri McGeoghan-Santry. They recorded a time of 37.83.

Camryn Clarke slotted into fourth for the home side when he guided his mother Victoria’s Conto De Reve (Hermes de Reve x Conto), bred by Noleen Kieran, to a double clear in 40.26.

Clem McMahon finished in fifth place with a fast time of 36.03 seconds, which would have been good enough for victory were it not for a fence on the ground with Derry Kingston’s Athea Clover Trend (Future Trend x Clover Clon VII), bred by John Joe Tierney.

Daniel McAlinden, riding Sharon Fitzpatrick’s Keatingstown Z Wellie Two (Z Wellie 72 x Marchioness), took sixth place when faulting once in 36.42 seconds.