NOT all owners got to see their horses compete at the Kilguilkey House International last weekend but present to witness their home-bred mare, Lisanley, win the CCI2*-S under Sarah Ennis were Allen and Paul Brady who were there in an official capacity.

The seven-year-old West Coast Cavalier chesnut competed on day two of the dressage phase when she was awarded a penalty score of 28.4 by judges Liam Moloney and Marion Slattery.

With a clear show jumping round, this left the mare sandwiched between the Fraser Duffy-partnered pair of Hollypark Neptune (28) and Designer Fernhill (28.5) going into the cross-country phase.

Lying fourth at this stage in the 57-runner class was the repatriated OBOS Quality 004 mare LEB Empress (29.8), ridden by Cathal Daniels, while the 17-year-old Kings Master pony Corries Whiskey (31.6) was in fifth under Tiggy Hancock. Disappointingly for 14-year-old Hancock, she dropped out of contention when having a brief problem at fence eight.

The leading four combinations all jumped clear but there was an alteration to the placings as, while Ennis beat the clock on Lisanley, Duffy was two seconds over the time on both of his mounts. This meant he finished second on Carol Gee’s former show jumper Hollypark Neptune, a six-year-old by Mermus R, and third with the similarly-aged Hermes de Reve gelding Designer Fernhill, who Gee owns in partnership with Deirdre Lanigan.

Ennis had finished the 2019 season with a win at EI100 level on Lisanley at Grove in September, and while the mare had failed to score in four EI110 starts this term, she had only one pole down and only once finished outside the time across the country.

“She has been very consistent,” said the Co Meath rider. “I knew she could pull out a real good test and while she did that at Blackstairs, she unfortunately had a pole. Here, she was foot-perfect and I’m delighted for the Bradys. I’d hope to bring her to Ballindenisk at the end of September but I’ll have to discuss things with Paul.

“The two-star cross-country track was very good – Danny always does a good job here. It got a bit muddy in the dressage arena and for show jumping but the ground held up well and never got deep.”

Breeding

Lisanley is out of Taxabelle who Paul sourced through Nicola Manningham-Buller and competed at Novice level. When it came to breeding out of the Tax Trends mare, who was out of a Royal Renown mare, two things had to be considered.

She had to be covered by a good show jumping stallion, as she had a poor record in that phase, and covering dates had to fit in with the Camphire international horse trials with which the Bradys are so involved in.

Paul, who was assistant course designer for the four-star course at Kilguilkey last week due to the enforced absence of Mike Etherington-Smith, explained: “Taxabelle’s first foal (the 2008 gelding Tommy Steele) was by Furisto’s Diamond but, after that, we sent her to West Coast Cavalier who is not only a Grade A jumper but stands at Firgove Stud with Finbar O’Neill who was happy to send her back to us, scanned in foal, once Camphire was over.”

Among Taxabelle’s five foals by West Coast Cavalier is the 2012 gelding Bay Knight, who is competing at CCI3*-S level in Italy. The Bradys have plenty of time to plan the future of any youngstock out of the mare as they didn’t send Lisanley to be broken by Ian Hannon until she was six!