ALTHOUGH it may not have been one of the most successful events for Irish riders, last weekend’s opening international at Ballindenisk was certainly a good one for the sport in Ireland. Bearing a strong international flavour, squads from France, Great Britain and Ireland contested the second leg of the FEI Nation’s Cup qualifier, while individuals from Belgium, Brazil, China, Sweden and America joined the home contingent in a further range of classes.

Ultimately the fixture was given the very positive thumbs-up and it was the new cross-country route that headed the list of winning ingredients.

Last autumn’s tracks had been the subject of some considerable discussion amongst riders but, having stood back and reassessed during the winter break, the Fell brothers produced six flowing, straightforward courses that were ideal for this stage in the season.

“The old track had been in situ since 2012 and it was time for a change,” explained Peter Fell. “We got caught in the trap of adding to what was there – and sometimes you can add too much. So, we needed to start anew.”

Contributing to the feel-good factor, the going in all areas was undoubtedly the best encountered all year, leading senior British international rider Francis Whittington to comment: “The event has been incredible. The organisation and the ground conditions were spot on, as were the courses which were both educational and confidence-building. They were exactly what they should be. ”

The new routes had, according to Peter Fell, been tough to prepare. Only a few weeks ago the land was saturated by water, and Fell knew that whatever he planned would have to withstand any conditions.

“We had to think about the elements and try to keep the ground consistent,” he added. “Certainly no one would have expected us to be aggrovating on Saturday!”

As always, Tony Hurley’s show jumping courses deserve a special mention. Blessed by perfect ground, Hurley was able to build strong, technical tracks that produced that fine balance of influence and severity.

There were a number of outstanding Irish performances over the three days, and although the event yielded just one home win (aside from ponies), three classes were headed by Irish-bred horses.

CICO NATIONS CUP

Racking up their third Ballindenisk victory on the bounce, hot favourites Britain had an easy passage when lifting the Nations Cup qualifier by a sizeable margin.

The squad of Oliver Townend (SRS Cooley), Izzy Taylor (Briarlands Birdsong) together with newcomers Wills Oakden (Merikano) and Franky Reid-Warrilow (Dolly Whisper) stamped their authority from the outset and, keeping a clean sheet across the country, eventually completed on 162.8, nearly 20 penalties ahead of Ireland (182.5) and France (184.4).

While the result could indicate a bit of a procession, it was interesting to note that not one team member completed on their opening score. Although only one rider faulted in the country, Saturday’s show jumping had proved fairly testing, and the time in both phases was an influential factor.

Britain’s Izzy Taylor unusually became Britain’s discard score when she picked up the sole cross-country penalty with Briarlands Birdsong. One of only three riders to return within the time, she displaced a frangible pin at the tricky open corner thus adding 11 penalties to her first phase score.

This made little difference to the final outcome however and his team’s solid performance prompted team coach Yogi Breisner to comment: “I’m thrilled for the debutantes Wills and Frankie.

“I always like to use the series for the purpose of introducing new riders to the international stage. The course was not overly difficult, but the going was perfect, and all four went extremely well in the country.”

Ireland fielded a squad of youth and experience spearheaded by the Olympic duo of Michael Ryan (Ballylynch Adventure) and Joseph Murphy (Sportsfield Othello). Making his third appearance in the series, Cathal Daniels partnered the stallion first timer Barnaboy Freeman, while Nicola Ennis made her debut with Westwinds Jack Of Hearts.

The quartet had filled a close third place after Saturday’s opening dressage phase, moving up to second spot following an influential show jumping test. Clear rounds from Murphy and Daniels were much applauded, while Ryan was unfortunate to tip just one with his consistent Olympic partner.

Luck was not with Ennis however and, having lowered four rails, the usually clean jumping son of Touchdown was later withdrawn after reportedly losing a shoe.

Despite being reduced to just three team members, Ireland’s riders retained their position after delivering three brilliant clear rounds in the country, narrowly drawing away from France in third.

Credit is due to the French squad of Geoffroy Bouliez (Madrian Du Liot), Arnaud Boiteau (Sultan De La Motte), Matthieu Van Landeghern (Saffran Du Chanoisene) and Marie Caroline Barbier (Picasso d’Oreal), who valiantly made the journey and turned the competition into a tighter one.

“I’m delighted for the team to finish in second place,” reflected coach Nick Turner. “Obviously disappointed that Nicola wasn’t able to complete, but the remaining three put in strong performances and solid cross-country rounds. I thought the Fells presented a very good, horse-friendly track with an excellent balance of questions.”

Ireland’s second placing now sees them sharing the top spot in the series with France (170 points). Great Britain, who scored badly in Fontainebleau, are next in line in third (155 points), followed by Germany (100).