Dubarry Burghley young event horse qualifier

THE Coolgreaney-based Shirsheen Sport Horses yard of the Murphy family had a busy, and successful, two days at last weekend’s Tattersalls Ireland July Show.

While Brendan concentrated on the main show jumping arena, where he secured victory in both the five- and six-year-old Horse Sport Ireland Studbook Series leagues on ABS Misty and Shirsheen Calensky respectively, his sister Linda covered a lot more ground.

Not only was she in action over the coloured poles as well but she also contested classes in the showing rings and in the Dubarry Burghley young event horse qualifier where she won the four-year-old class on her own and Rita Morgan’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Shirsheen Rocketman (90 points) who saw off the nearest of his 20 rivals by a six-point margin.

The OBOS Quality 004 bay was bred in Co Tipperary by Andrew Hodgins out of the Concorde mare Mangerton Lady Saoirse, a half-sister to the 2008 Chacoa mare Princess Of Mediterranean (CSI3*) among others, and was purchased, broken and riding, by his present connections from Padraic Corcoran.

“I won the HSI four-year-old combined training final on him in March and then we did the Stepping Stones league at Wexford Equestrian where we were placed in the final. He had a bit of a break then before taking part in the Young Eventhorse Series league and we qualified for Dublin when winning at Tullylish. He has also done a small amount of show jumping but we are going to pick and choose when and where we run him as we think a lot of him,” said Murphy who continues to work for Susan Fitzpatrick at Castle Howard in the mornings before doing her own horses later in the day.

“It would be lovely to compete at Burghley and, at the moment, that’s the plan. We’ll get Dublin out of the way first and we’re looking forward to being back at the show where I won what was then the small event horse championship on Rita’s Shirsheen Fun Size in 2016. I don’t know as yet if Gortfree Lakeside Lad will be doing the workers at Dublin but he’s definitely going there for the Irish Draught stallion parade. He was third in the Champion of Champions ridden horse final on Saturday.”

Nicky Roncoroni finished second on Saturday on her own and Margaret Fennell’s Dermish OBI (84) who is also by OBOS Quality 004, but this bay stands out for another reason. “She is the first mare I have owned and I would be very excited for her future in either show jumping or eventing,” stated the Co Kilkenny-based rider.

“She was bred by John Joe O’Sullivan out of a Cavalier mare who was out of a Master Imp mare and I bought her at the Goresbridge select sale in October. As with all mine, I’ve taken her slowly. This was her first official show and I was delighted with how she took it all in. She was green but jumped a very brave round over a good, educational track and will have learnt a heap from her day out.

“It’s unlikely I will take her to the final, due to the cost implications of travelling abroad now, but I will most likely take her to Necarne for the new HSI four-year-old development league, to Millstreet international and any other four-year-old classes that may come up!”

Aiming for Burghley

The Burghley final is the target of Saturday’s five-year-old class winner, the ISH gelding Fernhill Count On Me (89 points) who was ridden for Carol Gee by Luca Bortolamei. This Chacoa bay was bred in Co Limerick by Joanne Murphy Hanley out of the Aldatus Z mare, Buttercup Elm.

“I bought this fellow as a just-broken four-year-old from Thomas Walsh,” revealed Gee. “He rears and keeps his horses with Tom Brennan from Mill House Stud who I buy a few horses from and he recommended this lad to me. Luca started riding him this year and won the performance horse class in Balmoral.

“He will now go show jumping and be prepared for the Burghley final. Luca has never attended Burghley so it will be a great experience for him. I didn’t get to see him win on Saturday as I was jumping at the other side of the show. I think the horse has a big future in either eventing or show jumping. He is a big horse so we have to take him along quietly with his future in mind.”

Qualifying in second on 86 points was the Cathal Daniels-ridden Tullibards Get Ready Freddy, a Tullibards Bennys Legacy gelding who was bred by his owner Hans Kuehnle out of the Waikiki mare Sallymount Monalisa. “There is still a bit of time to go,” commented Kuehnle, “but the plan is to take Freddy to Burghley as Cathal plans to ride in the five-star there.”

It was a pity that the qualifier took place so far away from the rest of the show as it was very quiet and few others than those directly involved watched either of the two classes.