THE Fell family at Ballindenisk pulled out all the stops last weekend, to deliver a vintage international fixture that gained approval from every corner.

The event attracted a contingent of international riders that numerically equalled that of the home nation, and collectively their praise was centred on Peter Fell’s determination to deliver the ground in top order.

Efforts to combat the drying terrain had necessitated extensive watering and led Swedish international Ludwig Svennerstal to declare: “The work that the organisers have put in to the ground is truly unbelievable and so appreciated. The going was superb, and I cannot remember any event that has ever tried so hard.”

As a result, the perfect conditions led to some top class competition which was accompanied by a few fairy tale endings and no little amount of fun. “I’m terribly pleased with how it all went, and think it was possibly our best event yet,” Fell reflected. “I was worried about the ground, especially on Friday, so we made the decision to do everything possible to get it right.”

Out on track, Andrew Fell’s courses initially appeared fairly unassuming, but in usual Ballindenisk style, they delivered a number of high profile surprises in all classes, and none more so that in the feature Horse Sport Ireland CCI3*.

Despite being almost identical to the track which had ridden without incident 12 months ago, over a third of the starters ran into problems, leaving course and distance specialist Oliver Townend as the worthy winner. The remaining seven classes also yielded a good balance of severity both in the country and over the coloured poles, ultimately producing tight and exciting completions.

Emotions were further heightened when Ireland’s Sam Watson capped an already successful weekend by announcing the retirement run of his great partner Horseware Bushman. Galloping home to affectionate applause (and indeed fourth place), Watson paid tribute to his old stager who has carried him to two World Games and three European championships. “We wanted him to go out at his best – and today he was brilliant.”

In the end, Watson’s CCI2* victory with Ardagh Highlight proved to be Ireland’s only senior winner of the weekend, but there were a number of smart performances in the frame. Having filled the runner-up spot in the CCI3*, Padraig McCarthy and Bernadette Utopia will have given their European chances a boost, while Sophie Richard’s third placing in the CCI2* with SRS Adventure was one of the classiest runs of the week.