POISED at one end of the Kentucky Horse Park grandstand is the iconic statue of Bruce Davidson and Pirate Lion. Modelled on their bold leap into the Head of the Lake water complex, they were the first American combination to win Badminton Horse Trials and their statue was the backdrop for all kinds of events during the recent Rolex Kentucky horse trials, from marriage proposals to the retirement ceremony of Ballynoe Castle RM.

Pirate Lion was bred by Patricia Nicholson and again she, the Davidson family and another Irish-bred, are all interwoven in the story of this greatest all-time points earner in United States eventing history.

New Jersey couple Carl and Cassie Segal are longtime supporters of both Buck Davidson, Bruce’s son, and Irish sport horses since their success with the Touchdown gelding My Boy Bobby, the second-highest Irish Sport Horse in the 2009 World Breeding Federation for Sport Horse (WBFSH) eventing rankings.

“I think it was [veterinary surgeon] Brendan Furlong who influenced us. When we bought My Boy Bobby, he said ‘All the best eventing horses come from Ireland’. They’re so resilient and so strong and that’s exactly what Reggie is too,” said Carl, explaining their decision to source another potential eventer from Ireland.

“We had such a good relationship with Patricia. Buck has such a good relationship with her too, because Bruce had before that. We said ‘Buck, you’re a great rider, let’s get you a great horse’. We put Patricia on the assignment and up she came with “Reggie,”’ continued Cassie, his wife.

Buck then takes up the story: “Patricia bred all the famous Lion horses, including Pirate Lion that my dad rode and we’ve been friends forever. She called me and said she thinks she’s found a horse. They vetted him, called up and said ‘He’s lame, you don’t want him’.

“Patricia called up Brendan Furlong, my vet, and said ‘Look, I’ve seen this horse for a long time, he’s beautifully put together and never put a lame step in his life’, so we sent someone else over to vet him and he’s never missed a day’s work in his life since,” said Buck about the six-year-old they bought sight unseen, based on Nicholson’s advice.

“He was magnificent, right from the beginning. This [retirement ceremony] is very emotional, we’ve been on such a long journey with him right from the beginning, from the day he stepped off the plane onto US soil 11 years ago,” added Cassie.

It was a mutual decision between all his connections last year to retire the horse at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he and Buck had four Rolex Kentucky starts, were the highest-placed American combination in 2013, when they placed third, and competed in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“It’s just a joyous day, there’s no question about it. He could have ran around this event again. He’s 17, he looks fantastic, he’s been running events with Kathleen [Blauth-Murray, ‘Reggie’s groom] this winter, but I would always rather do one event too few than one event too many. The Segals felt exactly the same.”

“Yes, he’s getting retired from competition but he’s still going to be ridden every day, he’s still going to do dressage and he loves being part of the action. What a joy to have him in the barn for the past 11 years,” said Davidson who competed the Ramiro B gelding since his Preliminary days and will now divide his year between winters in Florida with Buck and summers at the Segal’s New Jersey farm. “We’re going to share custody!” laughed Buck.

He and the Segals paid Kathleen back for her devotion to the stable star in a lovely thank-you gesture.

She and Reggie, named after basketball legend Reggie Miller, added on 13 points to his and Buck’s 1,600+ tally with their three placings from three outings at Ocala and Rocking Horse. Buck pitched in by doubling up as her groom each day. “She’s amazing! Without Kathleen, there is no chance that Reggie would have become the horse he became.”

And then there was the last Rolex ride when Reggie and Kathleen were the dressage test riders on Thursday morning, when even at that early hour, fans flocked into the stadium to catch a glimpse of the pair.

GOOD TIMES

“People will say ‘What does he mean to you?’ and in a word ‘Everything’. I don’t know what my life would be without Reggie. We’ve had some unbelievably good times with him,” continued Buck, speaking to The Irish Field after the retirement ceremony. He has a strong connection with Ireland, having previously worked here with Alfie Buller, joined this year’s Cheltenham pilgrims and has an upcoming Tattersalls trip planned.

“I love Ireland. Ireland has been good to me and obviously Reggie is a big part of that. The thing about Reggie is; all around the world he’s famous, everyone knows Reggie. I was in Ireland once and a man was shipping horses from Patricia Nicholson’s to Tattersalls and he asked ‘How’s Reggie?’ He’d shipped him just the one time but I get that all the time everywhere, “How’s Reggie?” People just fall in love with him. He’s just the sweetest, nicest horse. We have other horses coming along, there’s probably more talented horses out there than Reggie but to have him in the barn means so much.”

While Buck clearly has a close bond with Irish horses, what is the current event horse fashion in the US?

“When Andrew Nicholson and Mark Todd were winning everything, everyone wanted a New Zealand horse; when Michael Jung was winning, people wanted a German horse but I love the Irish horse and I love the Irish people,” he responds.

“I’m so proud of the horse and more proud of the family and the team that have been behind him since day one. We’re as close as can be and we’re all brought together because of Reggie.”

REGGIE’S BACKGROUND

Sadly, Ballynoe Castle RM’s breeder Sylvester Cullen passed away in 2015, however up to then the Wexford man followed Reggie’s four-star career closely. The horse was in the Irish Sport Horse team in the WBFSH eventing studbook rankings for three consecutive years (2012, 2013, 2014), reaching 21st place in the individual rankings in 2014.

“Syl and Chrissie had a three-acre field in front of their house and thought it would be a nice place to have a horse,” explained Chrissie’s brother Cyril Behan, who also followed Reggie’s career when he lived in Kentucky for 22 years before moving home. “They talked to my younger brother Aidan who was very active in the Island Hunt at the time and he found Natalie for them.”

Now retired from breeding but taking permanent pride of place in her three-acre kingdom, Ballyvaldon Natalie was bred in Co Cork by Barth O’Sullivan and is by the Woodroofe family’s 1978 Croker Cup champion and beautifully-bred thoroughbred Blue Laser.

She has a near-thoroughbred pedigree as her dam line includes Santa’s Sleigh, Wilton House (the sire of David O’Connor’s Rolex winner Wilton Fair) and Nordyls.

Ballynoe Castle RM, foaled in 2000, is the oldest of her six recorded progeny with his sire Ramiro B accounting for three offspring (Rantis Diamond and Puissance were the other covering sires). Reggie’s full-siblings are Denise O’Brien’s CIC*** eventer Tommy B Good and an unnamed sister, the last of Natalie’s foals.

Again, Reggie’s story could have taken another road as Denise explains: “I had the option to buy Reggie as a yearling, but could only afford one at the time so opted for his little brother Tommy! I am very lucky and grateful to have Tommy, a horse of a lifetime, who has given me so much and I hope to have another season or two with him before he too retires.

“I have always followed Reggie in his competitions and hope he has a long and happy retirement. Two very special, talented horses!”

Reggie was sold as a yearling at Goresbridge Sales where he was bought by Terence Leonard - hence his Ballynoe Castle prefix - and was produced as a five-year-old on the Munster show jumping circuit by Ann O’Grady, before his move to America.

The pair’s full-sister is now owned by Marie Keating in Tuam and just this week, she produced a colt foal.

“There were a few sleepless nights as it was her first foal! He’s by Chillout, a stallion I’ve had success with in the past. He has a lot of very promising sport horses. I’ve bred Swallow Springs, currently with Andrew Nicholson, also by Chillout. There’s been quite a bit of interest in him already!”

REGGIE BY NUMBERS

1,676 – USEA points clocked up.

35 – FEI completions.

21 – His highest individual place in the WBFSH rankings (2014).

10 years, two months – Reggie’s career lifespan, according to the Rolex Kentucky official programme.

11 – Top-three placings.

Nine – Four-star starts, including four at Rolex Kentucky.

Three – Ramiro B x Ballyvaldon Natalie full-siblings, all bred by Sylvester Cullen.

Two – World Equestrian Games appearances (2010, 2014).

One – “There’ll never be another one like him”- Buck Davidson.