FULL marks are due to Danny and Michelle Dulohery and the team at Kilguilkey who, under the most testing of conditions, staged a highly successful international event last weekend.

An Irish domination in the feature CIC3* was the highlight of the sun-soaked fixture, whose very existence had been in the balance only a few weeks earlier. Michelle’s recent eventing injury had left the running of the popular fixture in jeopardy but defying the odds, the couple pulled it all together as planned.

As one half of the husband and wife organising pair, Michelle’s fall at Clyda just three weeks earlier could not have happened at a worst time. Having been described as “doing the work of 10 people behind the scenes”, Michelle had suffered multiple pelvic fractures. Undeterred, she was out of hospital and back on site probably much earlier than she should have been, but well supported by a loyal band of helpers.

Meanwhile, and following one of the wettest and then one of the hottest spells on record, Danny was faced with ground logistics that could not have been more challenging. Words such as ‘trojan’, ‘superhuman’ and ‘relentless’ were used to describe his dogged efforts to provide the best going possible.

The tractors were out incessantly aggrovating and watering but on Friday afternoon Dulohery was still not happy with the results. “It was definitely my biggest challenge yet,” he reflected after the event.

“So I decided in for a penny in for a pound as I wanted to be confident in my own mind that I had done all that I could.” As a result, further loads of water were spread on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, the equivalent of nearly three inches of rain.

GOOD OUTCOME

The outcome was a good one, and if riders opted not to run (which was only a few) then that was personal opinion. Speaking for the majority, Australian Kevin McNab said: “It’s great to see the organisers putting in such a massive effort. We travelled over from England because we were told there would be good ground, and it was really worth the journey.”

Top Italian Giovanni Ugolotti also remarked: “We as riders really appreciated the trouble they took for us and full credit to them.”

Sarah Ennis summed it up, saying: “They have done an amazing job – they couldn’t have done any more.”

Even the weather played its part, as following two days of searing temperatures, cross-country morning dawned to a cool wind and cloudy skies. As a result, horses ran in almost ideal conditions, and the sun broke through again just before the last horse crossed the line.

Sandwiched between the more established international fixtures of Tattersalls and Camphire, the event has now forged its own reputation. This year it was especially encouraging to welcome riders from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Norway and Finland, and it is hoped that feedback from the fixture will swell the ranks further again next year.

Certainly, the courses, designed by the renowned Mike Etherington-Smith, and beautifully crafted by Dulohery and his team would stand up anywhere in the world. There were few changes this year, but, according to Etherington-Smith, plans are already underway to revamp in 12 months’ time.

HOSPITALITY

Away from competition, Kilguilkey’s hospitality is fast becoming famous.

The barbeque and live music on Saturday night was extremely well supported, as was an earlier charity course walk delivered by international riders Ben Hobday and Ciaran Glynn. The star of the former was the legendary Liam O’Connor on his squeeze box, while the latter boosted the coffers of the David Foster Injured Riders Fund by just under €700.

Another first was the staging of the potential event horse classes for four and five-year-olds on Friday afternoon. Both classes were well supported with Joseph Murphy in the hot seat to assess the performance marks.

Commentator Tom Busteed celebrated his birthday with some informative and animated dialogue on cross country day, ably assisted by an equally enthusiastic Bill Maguire.

Overall, there were many improvements from 12 months ago, although one area that still needs tweaking is the running of the show jumping arena. While Tony Hurley’s tracks were, us usual, very cleverly designed, the public-address system fell short, leaving both the riders and connections confused at times.

Of course, an event of this size would not run without its loyal sponsors, supporters and volunteers. Michelle and Danny summed up by thanking them all, especially title sponsor Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses, Global Event Horses, together with Top Spec, Plus Vital, Eventing Ireland, Equissentials and Avalon, as well as a long list of fence sponsors and contributors.