WHILE news of Irish horses in the United States last weekend was dominated by the fatal fall of Wicklow Brave in the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills, New Jersey, down in Fair Hill, Maryland, the CCI4*-L was won by the thoroughbred Paddy The Caddy.

Ridden by the USA’s Erin Sylvester, who owns the 12-year-old Azamour gelding in partnership with breeder Frank McEntee, Paddy The Caddy was eighth after dressage on 33.90 penalties. Mara De Puy led the 47-strong field with Congo Brazzaville C (28.60) but they parted company across the country where Sylvester picked up just 0.4 of a time penalty.

Sylvester and Paddy The Caddy were lying second going into Sunday’s final show jumping phase but, having gone clear and being just 3.2 penalties adrift, they were quickly hailed as the winners when the Waylon Roberts-partnered Lancaster lowered the first fence – and three others – to drop to eighth.

Paddy The Caddy is the first of 10 foals out of US-bred Slamy (by Grand Slam) who won twice on the flat in France. He may be aimed at Burghley next year as the CCI4*-L is also the US national championship, for which the first prize is a flight for the winning horse to anywhere in the world.

The four-star competition was dominated by Irish-breds with Mia Farley finishing second on BSG Firecracker (38.30), a nine-year-old Capitalist mare who was bred by the Byrne family at their Ballygrangans Stud in Co Wexford out of Emmas Courage (by Courage II). The chesnut was campaigned here by both Maria and Patrick Byrne. The Holstein stallion Courage II was the sire of Fernhill Fortitude (40) who was third under Jenny Caras. This 15-year-old gelding was bred in Co Tipperary by Geraldine Costello out of Misty Matilda (by Clover Dubh).