THE country’s top senior riders were out in force at Tattersalls last Sunday when the fixture was run once again by the venue’s one-day event committee following its three-year status as the national championships.

The organising team and supporters showed a bit of rustiness at times but this wasn’t the day to stand around and discuss matters as, with the pre-Millstreet combined training section, there were 19 classes down for decision.

An entry of 320 was catered for in nine dressage arenas which were erected on Friday by Kay Nolan.

Her team of helpers was severely depleted as many had already decamped to the Irish Pony Club eventing championships in Ballindenisk where they had over 325 members entered. Nolan was down at the Co Cork venue early on Saturday morning, even before the 8.20am start time at Tattersalls.

Raymond Jess built influential show jumping tracks in two rings where the action got under way at 9am. The cross-country phase didn’t commence at 11.30am as planned and runners certainly didn’t appear in strict numerical order.

Resident cross-country course designer/builder Eugene O’Neill and his team did a great job in not only producing four well-presented, well-built tracks but the whole complex looked immaculate just three days after the last of 790 lots catalogued in the August National Hunt Sale had gone through the ring.

Of the 422 sold, one was purchased by the cross-country course designer at the Tattersalls international horse trials, Ian Stark, who was over from Scotland to discuss plans for next year’s event.

Joseph Murphy hasn’t always been happy with the going at the Co Meath venue but, contacted on Monday, said: “The ground was lovely. It was a really good event and fair play to the organisers they didn’t hang about.

“The layout of having the dressage and show jumping close together worked well but, later in the day, some horses got worked up in the show jumping when others were galloping on the cross-country course. Saying that, it suited others.

“I only rode in the two two-star classes but thought the cross-country course was excellent. It was a big galloping track and the combinations asked the kind of questions you’d want if you are going to some of the autumn internationals. All round, it was a super job.”

MURPHY DOUBLE

Murphy won both the advanced and open intermediate classes, the first a leg of the Connolly’s Red Mills SuperLeague series in which the Killyleagh-based rider partnered three of the nine starters, although he withdrew HL Mrs Imp after dressage.

Here, Murphy recorded the only double clear on the flat phase winner, Sportsfield Othello (29.6 penalties). The 17-year-old Ricardo Z gelding, who finished over 10 points clear of the Cathal Daniels-ridden Rioghan Rua (39.8), is owned by the rider’s wife Jill, Alison Schmutz and Andrew Tinkler.

The bay holds an engagement at Burghley as does his stable-companion, Annette O’Callaghan’s Fernhill Frankie who was fourth (49.5) on Sunday.

The Murphy double was brought up in similar fashion in the O/CNC2* where again he posted the only double clear to win with Paul Donovan’s Sportsfield Pennywell – he was the only rider clear inside the time across the country and the only one to leave all the show jumping fences intact.

“I got this mare from Paul in mid-May and things have gone well so far with her,” said Murphy regarding the Cobra eight-year-old who was recording her first Eventing Ireland success. The grey, who is competing in the CCI2* at Millstreet this weekend, was bred in Co Meath by Louise Daly out of the Hairos mare Belle du Soir, dam previously of the show jumping mare Seaspray (by Jack Of Diamonds).

With 3.6 cross-country time penalties and one pole on the floor, Steven Smith finished second with EMS Florence (40.6), just ahead of Camilla Speirs with the dressage winner Lexington (24.3) who was slower over the fixed fences and also picked up four show jumping penalties before finishing third (43.5).

To no avail, Cathal Daniels queried his four time penalties on the second leg which saw him finish fourth not second on Galant DHI (43.5). On their first two-star start, Robyn McCluskey and Rum Jumbie were one of three combinations to have a glance-off the second of the double of skinnies at eight.