DUNGARVAN Agricultural Show was the venue for the latest round of the 1.35m Connolly’s Red Mills/Munster Grand Prix and for the second year running it was Paddy O’Donnell who took the top prize and the lion’s share of the €2,000 on offer.
Partnering James Nash’s home-bred Quality Command (OBOS Quality 004 x Errigal Flight), the pair recorded a time of 42.08 in the eight-strong jump-off to take the win.
Speaking afterwards, O’Donnell said: “The ground here is second to none. All credit to the organising committee and the Doyle family, the work they put in here is amazing and they deserve to be supported. It is a fabulous show and the grass arena was perfect.”
O’Donnell did have the advantage of having already been around the jump-off track aboard his other mount, Loes and Ger Klaassen’s Dutch-bred Kikedou (Douglas x Radisson), with whom he finished in eventual fourth place.
Francis Connors and Claire Mc Donnell’s eight-year-old mare Rose Marie were runners-up. By Diamant De Semilly, she is out of the former Army Equitation School’s Grand Prix mount Mo Chroí. They broke the finish beams in 42.97.
Tadhg Beecher, riding another eight-year-old, his father Tim’s Loughnatousa Olaf (Cruising Harry) took third place in 45.06. Beecher also claimed fifth aboard his other mount, the home-bred mare Loughnatousa KT (OBOS Quality 004 x Artic View) as the fastest four-faulter.
Sixth place went to Liam O’Meara riding his own home-bred eight-year-old stallion Sir Jim Jim (Boherdale Clover x Errigal Flight).
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