Big event for Cullen

GER Lyons and Johnny Murtagh are in-form trainers using the Vitafloor vibration therapy unit supplied by Cullen Equine Solutions whose joint-director, Declan Cullen, had a great start to the national eventing season last weekend.

With Covid-19 restrictions in place, which caused the divides, the campaign proper finally got underway with fixtures on both Saturday and Sunday at the present point-to-point venue of Ballycahane, Co Limerick and the former point-to-point site of Lisgarvan, Co Carlow.

Sales, marketing and feed consultant at Pegus Horse Feed, Cullen travelled down from Gilford to Lisgarvan for Sunday’s action. The trip proved well worthwhile as he won the EI115 class on Mandy Driesch’s US-bred buckskin (aka dun) stallion Grand Marnier and the EI100 with the OBOS Quality 004 gelding Ultimate Quality, a newcomer to the sport.

Cullen was also delighted to finish fourth, on his dressage score, in the EI115 Open with Seavaghan Ash who only competed once last season. The 11-year-old gelding is skewbald like his sire, the Irish Sport Horse stallion Glenhill Gold (a son of Saracen Hill), who won at international three-star level.

Still in great fettle, the 21-year-old is proving popular with breeders, Cullen being more than pleased to tell everyone that Queen Elizabeth II bred a filly foal by him out of one of her mares.