In-form Jess Widger wins with Ballinaclough Caruso

WATERFORD’s Jess Widger won the EI100 (J) at Hillcrest on Sunday with Ballinaclough Caruso.

In doing so, she repeated the win she had in the same division at the venue’s last event, when she took victory with her mother Laura’s Grantstown Spirit. That five-year-old Spirit House mare could only finish second, on her dressage score (31), last Sunday behind Peadar Murphy’s Ballinaclough Caruso who, too, completed on his winning first phase score (27).

Previously ridden by Kilian Murphy and, prior to that, Olivia Holohan, the 11-year-old Connemara gelding by Fairyhill Tomboy was having his first outing of the season on Sunday and his first under the very much in-form Widger.

While Widger had 13 other rivals to contend with in her class, Wexford’s Georgina Pettit had just the one as she also recorded a one-two finish in the EI100 (P). She led after dressage on the Ricardo Z gelding Cillbhrid Dot Com (26.3) who, despite a fence down show jumping, held on narrowly to beat his stable-companion, Ballyerk Black Beauty (30.5) who won here back in June.

Brid Cronin completed on her winning dressage score when claiming the four-runner EI100 (Amateur) with Talking Tom (34) as did Maria Byrne when winning the 23-strong unrestricted EI100 on the Eventing Ireland newcomer, BGS Eazy Peazy (24.8).

Owned and bred by the rider’s father Paddy, the winner is a six-year-old mare by Ramiro B out of Emmas Courage (by Courage II) and is thus a half-sister to, among others, the Capitalist mare BGS Firecracker (CCI4*-L), the Power Blade mare BGS Juicyfruit (CIC3*) and the BGS Electric Line mare BGS Mikado (CCI3*-L).

Fraser Duffy finished second on Carol Gee’s Fernhill Muse (28), a five-year-old Mermus R gelding who was third on his only previous outing, while Nicky Roncoroni was a further place back with another five-year-old having his second start, the Capris Van Overis Z gelding Henry Higgins (30.8).

Undoing

Two combinations were eliminated on the cross-country course in the unrestricted EI90, one for omitting a fence, while two others had earlier received the big ‘E’ in the show jumping ring, one for jumping the incorrect first fence.

The show jumping phase also proved the undoing of the dressage leaders on 27.5, Rosemarie Ahern O’Gorman and the ex-racehorse Khwarizmi, who picked up an additional 12 penalties to drop right down the leaderboard.

Left in the lead (28.3) at this stage having show jumped clear on their second outing as a combination, Emma Rose Brady and another ex-racehorse, Somethingboutnelly, dropped even lower as they only cleared the second fence on the final leg at the second attempt.

At day’s end, 10 of the 25 starters recorded double clears inside the time with the honours going to Cork’s Marie O’Connor riding Lisdeen Trend (30). Declan Leahy claimed the runner-up spot with Call On Cavalier (having omitted a fence on the Gallant Cavalier gelding’s only previous outing here in June). He completed on the same score (32.3) as third-placed Dominic Furnell with yet another ex-racehorse, Fanion Libre, who was also having his second start.

Owned by Emma O’Callaghan, Lisdeen Trend is a six-year-old black Irish Sport Horse mare by Future Trend. She was bred in Co Clare by Pat Talty out of Carnival Cavalier (by Cavalier Royale), dam previously of the Don Juan de la Bouverie gelding Quick Dollar (CSI5*) and the Cruisings Micky Finn gelding Cavalier Micky Finn (CCI4*-S).

Despite a fence down show jumping, Katherine Bennett led from start to finish in the EI90 (Amateur) on the newcomer Lord Ghyvan, a five-year-old by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan. Zach Palmer completed on his winning dressage score in the EI90 (P) with the Connemara gelding Carnaween Jake, an eight-year-old son of Earl Of Kilmore.

There were five eliminations between both jumping phases in the 23-runner EI80 (T) where, despite being two seconds over the time on the cross-country phase, there was an all-the-way success for Clara Hartigan and the home-bred Neptune Knight (32.1). Hartigan and her five-year-old Aolus gelding were both making their EI debuts. Karen MacGrath finished second when recording the only double clear inside the time on Nala (33).