CLARE Abbott’s excellent season continued last weekend at Millstreet where she won the Noel C. Duggan Engineering Ltd CCIYH2*-S class for six-year-olds on Arthalent and finished a close-up third in the CCI3*-S on Mr Mighty. As he had lowered a pole show jumping and was no longer in a winning position, the Hillsborough Olympian withdrew Jewelent before cross-country in the CCI4*-S.

Like the last-named horse, Arthalent is by the Rosbotham family’s Dutch Warmblood stallion Valent. However, Abbott’s Millstreet winner is owned by her mother Catherine, chair of the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland and breeder of the bay gelding. He is out of the traditionally bred Timpany Night (by Nigrasine) who foaled him when she was out of action from April 2014 to August 2016.

On the mare’s return to competition, Abbott rode her up to Advanced level before selling her to Junior rider, Charlotte Teehan. As the pair missed last season and Charlotte will be going to college in September, her mother, Vanessa, said that they would more than likely cover Timpany Night this year.

“I’d hope that Arthalent, and Mr Mighty, would be selected for Le Lion at the end of the year,” said Abbott. “Arthalent is really very good in all three phases but, after a few quiet weeks, I could compete him in England for the mileage and experience. The plan, at the moment, is to hold on to him for a while.”

There were only 14 starters in this young horse class and, of these, three withdrew after show jumping including the sole British combination of Ben Hobday with Shadow Kingsman who, after a clear second phase round, were on a score of 34.4.

Two combinations failed to complete over the fixed fences and, importantly, only two managed to finish within the time allowed, and on their dressage scores, Abbott on Arthalent (28.4) and the fourth-placed pairing of Mallow-based South African Storm O’Connor riding the Irish Sport Horse mare Moonlight Mist (39.8).

They were split by Sarah Ennis on Agnes Fabricius’s S Creevagh Ferro gelding Dourough Ferro Class Act (29.1) and Ian Cassells riding Gerry Leahy’s Tabasco van Erpekom gelding Rosconnell Alto (31.2), both of whom were two seconds over the time in the show jumping phase.