IRELAND’s international second win of the weekend fell to Cathal Daniels, who narrowly emerged the winner in a hotly contested CCI1* class. Poised in second spot overnight, and with Izzy Taylor breathing down his neck in third, Daniels inched ahead following an influential final phase.

Both he and Taylor tipped a rail, but when leaders Catherine Robinson and Black Ice rolled two, it was Daniels who emerged on top (45.4). Adding to the satisfaction, he was riding Michelle Nelson’s home-bred OLS King Aragon (by Samgemjee), the well related daughter of Ireland’s Olympic representative Just Beauty Queen. “He’s seriously a talented horse,” said Daniels afterwards. “He’s done a bit, but this was a big achievement to win in this company. He had a tough draw in the show jumping, and while he had a pole down, he jumped really well.”

Daniels shares the ride with his girlfriend, Shannon Nelson, and having clocked up some good results this year was runner-up in the national six-year-old championships at Tattersalls two weeks earlier.

The bridesmaid for second time over the weekend, Izzy Taylor was nevertheless thrilled with the performance of Jo Boggon’s Newmarket Glider, a six-year-old by Newmarket Venture (45.9). Interestingly bred by Billy Daly, the gelding is out of Newmarket Dato Two (Aldatus) and a full-brother to Sophie Richards’ highly rated three-star campaigner SRS Adventure. “He has hunted which helped him,” remarked Taylor. “It was certainly challenging out there.”

The order first altered shape when dressage leader Annie Ho (Baxo) from Hong Kong withdrew after incurring 20 penalties at the hanging log into the water (5). Her absence left the door open for Catherine Robinson, who having enjoyed a great season with Black Ice, took over the leader’s mantle. A fast clear in the country secured their position, but lowering two rails in the testing show jumping, dropped the pair to an eventual sixth spot.

As a result, young rider Emily McQuaide pulled up to fill third for Ireland with the veteran Bright Side (47.6). The Trim-based rider had creditably filled ninth place on the flat, and completing on her dressage score remained marginally in front of Michael Ryan and the similarly clean jumping Briarhill Marco (48.1).

For the first time at Ballindenisk, British course designer Helen West (soon to be Mrs Andrew Fell) was at the helm in the one and two-star classes. Neither was over demanding, but the one-star certainly achieved its objective. “I feel strongly that you have to consider the young horse’s future when building at this level,” she said, “so sometimes it’s difficult to be able to ask enough of them.”

It would seem that, in spite of the terrible conditions, West got the balance spot on. Five horses clocked up individual refusals, while two retired and one fell.

The pavilion (14) added a costly 20 penalties to the score of fifth-placed Robyn McCluskey (Rum Jumbie), while also in contention Trish Ryan added the same at the previous corners (13ab) with Drumloman Lad. Jonathan Steele (Mr Green) was almost home and hosed when glancing off at the water, two from home but it was the second of the water complexes that proved the undoing for Tracy Walshe and Loughnavatta Cedar. Struggling with slippery reins, in the worst of Saturday’s weather, the well-placed pair fell at the second element.