IRELAND’s Sophie Richards scooped yet another young horse title, when she piloted Brianne Stanley’s Business Class to victory in the CICYH*. Hitting form at just the right time, the Camphire winners trounced a high-class international field and now look to be live prospects for similar success in Le Lion d’Angers next month.

In a class full of drama and upset, the son of Harlequin Du Carel opened in third spot after dressage and, although he tipped a rail in Thursday’s show jumping phase, he forged ahead after a brilliant run in the country.

The pair were one of just eight combinations to make the time across the Drishane parkland, and according to Richards, the six-year-old found it easy. “He’s not strong, so you don’t have to set him up too much,” she said afterwards.

Formerly ridden by his owner Brianne Stanley, Business Class is the current HSI five-year-old champion (2015) and if, as looks likely, he makes the cut for France, Stanley is hoping that the event will prove third time lucky.

“His big brother Business Time travelled there the year it was abandoned, and then last year I competed his sister, Bit Of Business and we fell on the flat,” she recalled. Very well-related, the gelding is a full brother to the four-star campaigner Cooley Business Time, as well as Katherine Coleman’s two-star horse Back In Business.

Another Irish combination to put smiles on the faces of the selectors was second-placed Elizabeth Hayden and the home produced DSL The Professor. A little in arrears in eighth place on the flat (48.4), they produced two clean jumping rounds, and after adding just 0.80 for time reversed placings with British internationals Laura Collett (Sir Papillon) and Ben Hobday (Shadow Man).

Among the others to impress were fifth-placed TKS Cooley (Bethany Burton) and Denis Finch Hatton (Patrick Whelan) who were the only combinations to keep their dressage scores intact.

FELL HEAVILY

The final result was first turned on its head when overnight leaders Aoife Clark and Jensen III crashed out of contention in the country. As the only pairing to earn a sub-40 dressage mark (39.8) it was especially tough to see them make a green error at the skinny at the Flynn’s Folly (7b) but more so when they fell heavily at the later offset trees (11ab).

“He was quite cocky, and left a leg at the first element,” said Clark. These double of logs certainly needed respect, and another to fall here was the Kiwi partnership of Jesse Campbell and May Ryola.

Also suffering mixed fortunes was Irish international Fraser Duffy. The Kilkenny-based rider clocked up a sixth placing with the smart Lismore Rock A Bill but, experiencing the ups and downs of the sport, took a nasty looking fall from Feel Happy at the trakehner (4) before the first water.