CCI3*-S

LUCY Latta may not have the number of horses to event as many of her rivals, and thus has far fewer opportunities to compete, but that didn’t stop her topping the final scoreboard in the CCI3*-S at Ballindenisk last weekend with Lesley and Alison Crampton’s RCA Patron Saint.

Latta led the 33-runner field from the outset and completed the three phases on the 31.8 penalties she was awarded by Joanne Jarden (C) and John Lyttle (B) in the dressage arena on Saturday. The following morning, a pole down show jumping, and 1.2 time penalties in this phase, proved expensive for Adam Haugh, who dropped down the order from second to fifth with Van Thee Man (37.4). Later in the day, the 2.4 time penalties she picked up across the country didn’t affect the third-place finish of Suzanne Hagan on OBOS Take One (35.4).

Benefitting from those errors, and others, as they both recorded double clears, were Patrick Whelan, who climbed two places to second with Footfall (34.2) and Brian Morrison who jumped up from 12th to fourth on Nekita (36.6).

Ballycarney, Co Wexford-based Latta explained how she got the ride on RCA Patron Saint, a nine-year-old bay gelding by Grafenstolz out of Summers Mist whose 2012 gelding, RCA Royal Mist (by Royaldik), had a pole down in the same class on Sunday to finish ninth on 39.3.

“When Alison, who is now in Melbourne, was based with Sam Watson, her mother Lesley purchased the horse (for €30,000) from his breeder, Richard Ames, at the 2016 Go For Gold Sale. Sam rode him once the following season, but as he had too many rides the horse came to me in the summer of his six-year-old year. I produced him as a seven and eight-year-old and, while he was always brave across the country, which is his forte, he has been improving steadily in the other two phases.

“I had a few lessons with Amy Woodhead over the winter and, if we get the dressage right, I hope to move him up to four-star next year.

“I love the new arena at Ballindenisk – it was fantastic to get to jump on a surface. I thought the going would be heavy after all the rain but the ground held up very well on the cross-country and the fences rode well.

“I was pleased with both my horses. I was delighted to have Ginger (DHI Broadway) back up to that level again (he was seventh in the CCI4*-S) and to get myself back up there as well!” concluded Latta who, having completed a Masters in Marketing at the Smurfit Business School in July, is set to start in a new job in City West in two weeks. If the Covid-19 protocols mean she will be working remotely for much of the week, she won’t complain!

In winning this CCI3*-S, Latta should have been presented with the Karen Rodgers Memorial Trophy which has been won in the past by many of the country’s leading riders. However, because of the Covid-19 protocols, the presentation could not take place, but Siobhan English will ensure Lucy receives the trophy as the earliest opportunity.

Patrick Whelan was delighted with his second-place finish on Footfall, the now 16-year-old grey gelding he has been competing since his days as a member of the Killinick Branch of the Irish Pony Club.

“I was thinking of doing the four-star with him but was worried with all the rain that the ground would get too deep,” said the Murrintown-based rider. “He’s small (158cms) and really is ground dependent as he can’t jump those bigger and wider fences out of deep ground. Kilguilkey was tough on him – he likes it like the road. I was lucky that I got to show jump after they had watered the arena as it was at its hardest at that stage.

“What you had to do over the weekend was to do a good dressage and show jump clear as the cross-country phase didn’t have that much of an influence. I really was thrilled that everything went so well as usually something goes wrong for me at internationals!’’