Sally Parkyn

CIC**

DOUBLE celebrations were on the cards for Ciaran Glynn, who opened a memorable Sunday to land the CIC** with November Night. Outperforming a high class field, Glynn and the Bonnie Prince-sired mare improved on their opening third place, and although they tipped one rail in the final stages, they did enough (50.3) to head second-placed Jodie O’Keefe and Reenmore Duke (50.4), and Katherine Coleman with Back To Business (52.5).

Bound for their first four-star in Pau next month, and running at the lower level for preparatory purposes, Glynn was delighted with the mare. “She’s been in great form all year,” he said. “We decided to run her here in the two-star because I wanted to test the brakes, and make sure all was in order. She was very good everywhere and I had a great spin in the country. The dressage has improved and we have picked up marks, while in the show jumping she really tried to jump clear.”

Owned by Susanna Francke and Peter Cole, November Night was sourced as a four-year-old from the one-off Goresbridge/Monart event horse sale. Bred by Pat Doherty, and produced throughout by Glynn, she was the best of the Irish squad in Le Lion d’Angers in 2013 and completed Boekelo last year.

Adding to the celebrations at ringside, news filtered through from Belgium that Glynn’s home-bred and formerly owned show jumper Killossery Kaiden had won the gold medal in the six-year-old world show jumping championships in Lanaken. The two wins crowned a great month for the Killossery-based family, which opened when Laura’s foal headed the figures at the Goresbridge Supreme foal sale of foals two weeks ago.

The French world championship event showcase at Angers is due to take place next month, and one exciting pairing hoping to shine is the second-placed Jodie O’Keefe and Reenmore Duke. The consistent Co Meath-based duo has been named as one of the 12 seven-year-olds travelling to France, as has Melanie Young, who stood out with the sixth-placed Sorbet.

The class changed shape again on Sunday morning when the overnight leaders both failed to come forward to the final phase. Rosie Fry’s second-placed Arise Cavalier had hit his knee in the country the previous day and was withdrawn prior to inspection, and Ben Hobday’s leader Its Just Jazz did not pass the trot up on Sunday morning.

“I was probably chancing my arm and shouldn’t have presented him,” reflected Hobday. “However I was so tempted, as he’s a great jumper and hasn’t had a show jump down for two years.”

Some riders questioned the fact that the CIC*** show jumped before cross-country, while the remaining CIC classes did so last. “We’ve always done it this way,” answered Peter Fell. “It’s the way the timetable works and I think the riders have short memories!”

The track rode very similarly to the long format class and only a few got into trouble. Andrew Hoy, who experienced both highs and lows on his first visit to the venue, was the only faller when Kung Fu Panda took a ducking at the water. Others incurred isolated penalties, while Emma Newsam walked home from the corners (16ab) and British rider Julia Norman was eliminated at the final water two from home.