AVOCA’S Susan Fitzpatrick caused quite a stir when giving €20,000 for Sam Salad at Goresbridge’s Go For Gold Sale last November but her decision was justified on Wednesday when the palamino gelding landed the Dublin small event horse qualifier at Scarteen.

These qualifiers are very difficult to win but Fitzpatrick has a very good, tactical rider in Linda Murphy who was home clear in 161 seconds, just four seconds under the optimum time.

Three other combinations qualified on Wednesday, Ann Lambert with her own seven-year-old Puissance gelding Goran Allo, Ciaran Moran on Ella Lazenby’s Ahare Olympic Flemmenico (a finalist last August) and Diarmuid Ryan with Judy Quirke’s Uskerty Sweet Lad mare Glensensaw Sweet Lass.

The six-year-old Sam Salad is by the Connemara stallion Patty’s Veuve Cosmic and was bred in Co Kilkenny by Edward Norris out of a mare by the thoroughbred Sharifabad. He was consigned to last year’s Go For Gold Sale by Ado Moran, for whom Alyson Keane rode the palamino in an EI90 class at Lisgarvan House last September, finishing 11th of 19 on their dressage score. This year, Sam Salad has been show jumping with Murphy.

There is always a good mix of professional and amateur riders in this class, while the young event horse classes are usually confined to the professional ranks. Among those making their debuts at senior level on Wednesday was leading show pony rider Sadhbh Stassin Peelo who competed in Section B of the four-year-old class on the Daisy Duggan-produced Ricardo Royale gelding VVS Royal Ricardo.

The pair failed to qualify in fourth but the young rider can be well-pleased with her performance as she finished behind three of the top riders in this discipline – Ann O’Grady, Ann Lambert and Linda Murphy.