HEIDI Brabazon made her first appearance at the Milchem Equestrian Centre a winning one last Sunday when landing the Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored EI80 class for four-year-olds on Gerry Leahy’s Sel Lorenzo who was making his public debut.

The Curragh combination completed on their winning dressage score (30 penalties) ahead of the likewise clear jumping Hannah Gordon and the Irish Draught mare Lankhill Rosey (30.25), a grey daughter of DS Ballagh Bouncer, and Louise Kennedy riding the Connemara gelding Nevins Pucán (30.75).

An Irish Sport Horse gelding by Quintero, Sel Lorenzo was bred by Tanya Loughran out of the Peintre Celebre mare Vissi d’Arte who was placed once on the flat when trained as a two- and three-year-old by Eventing Ireland president Jessica Harrington.

The 2001 mare, who last ran when fifth of 23 in a three-year-old hurdle in Cork in November 2004, was then used in polocrosse by Loughran before breeding Sunday’s winner and his year-younger half-brother by Coupe de Coeur who has been retained.

“I broke this fellow for Tanya and Gerry bought him around July or so,” revealed Brabazon. “He has a lot of filling out to do and needs a lot of time but I was keen to get him out to compete before he gets a break. I work with the racehorses in the mornings and the sport horses in the afternoons so I can’t have too many to produce.

“I was delighted this year with my old eventer Red Ace, who competed in three CCI4*-S events, and with the former Sneezy Foster-trained Ahaziah, who I campaigned in showing classes and has since been sold to a young rider in Scotland. I’d like to get another thoroughbred to produce along the same lines.”

Close call

As both Jason Doerflinger and Caroline Devine completed on their joint-winning dressage mark of 31.25 in the HSI EI90 class for four-year-olds, the scorers had to take a close look at the results before declaring Doerflinger the winner on the Conroy-owned Milchem Duchess.

This traditionally bred Musical Pursuit bay was bred in Co Galway by Patrick Dillon out of the Irish Draught mare Beezies Duchess (by Its The Quiet Man).

Devine’s mount, Captain Devine, is also a traditionally bred ISH gelding, but by Clonaslee Captain Cristo out of an unraced thoroughbred mare by Royal Anthem. Darren Goode also recorded a clear round on the third-placed ISH mare Millfield Ballerina (32), a bay by OBOS Quality 004.