Margie McLoone

AFTER a foggy start for some on Sunday, it turned into a beautiful day at the Furnell family’s lovely Ballycahane estate in Crecora where Bob the Hereford bull, his cows and calves had the right idea as they just lay down in the sun and watched the Eventing Ireland action unfold around them.

Gerald Furnell, cross-country course designer along with his son Dominic who was competing, had mown and aggravated the tracks, and, according to Fraser Duffy, who had four rides on the day (all of whom came home without any penalties across the country), the ground didn’t ride as firmly as it walked.

There were very few problems in jumping over the fixed fences but there was a lengthy delay when Noelle Reidy and Hip Hop Malibu, one of three combinations in the CNC* amateur class, took a heavy fall at the third fence, the bushy rails drop.

The 11-year-old mare had to be transported off the track but did go home with her owner that evening.

In the O/CNC** class, Fergal Nesbitt was eliminated when Dolmen Déjà Vu had three refusals at fence eight, the step to drop, while Rory O’Hare suffered the same fate when DBS Anchorman, who had been going really well on his intermediate debut, glanced off the corners at 15 three times.

The second of the double of logs at seven on the EI100 course didn’t cause as many problems as anticipated on the morning’s Munster Region course walk by commentator Chris Ryan. Riders must have been paying attention!

“We had our first Try Eventing day here last Sunday with an entry of 145 and the doctor and two ambulances I had booked never moved all day,” reported Furnell senior.

“We are having another one next Monday (June 6th) for the Bank Holiday and I hope it’s as well supported. We used some of the same permanent fences, such as the water and wall, as today but the portables were changed around and people just jumped what they wanted. There was no time allowed which I think is a very good, safe approach.”

WELL-REPRESENTED

The well-presented cross-country fences may not have had too much of an effect on the scoreboard but the coloured poles most certainly did, particularly in Arena 1, where there were very few clear rounds over Kevin Bartley’s intermediate and novice courses.

Dominic Furnell had three rides on Sunday and recorded double clears on two of these, Ballycahane Silver Vixen (seventh in CNC*) and Knockahunna French Twist (fourth in the EI100), but had a pole down with Ballycahane Lucy who, ironically, was best-placed in second in the novice class.

Brian Morrison had the perfect warm-up for Tattersalls International when recording a double here with two very different types.

In the O/CNC**, the Co Cork international made his first public appearance on Trish Kearns’s Green Master a winning one when his four show jumping penalties for a total of 31.1 were only half that of the dressage winners, Kelley Hutchinson and Ballyduff A-Z, who dropped to second on a completion score of 32.6.

Fergal Nesbitt and Kilrodan Queen B were the only combination to finish on their flat work mark (33.6) in third while time penalties on both jumping phases proved costly for Denise O’Brien and Tommy B Good (fourth on 36.9).

Green Master, who was bred in Co Carlow by Brigid Fenlon, is a 10-year-old bay gelding by Master Imp out of the Laughton’s Flight mare Marbridge Lady.

“I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by the owner to take the horse as his usual rider, her son Robbie, is doing his Leaving Cert,” reported Morrison. “The plan is that I will ride him in the two-star at Kilguilkey International and that Robbie then takes back the ride with a view to being selected for the Young Riders’ team.”

Before assisting husband Chris with the afternoon’s commentary, Sue Ryan judged both the EI100 Amateur class and Section B of the EI100. In the latter, she had Morrison and the Dutch Warmblood Ex at the top of her leaderboard on 28 penalties and there they remained.

Owned by Vinny Duffy, the seven-year-old Contador mare was winning for the first time under Eventing Ireland rules. “This is a nice mare that I jumped in six and seven-year-old classes,” commented Morrison. “She is very athletic and nimble with lots of scope and ability. I think she is going to be very good.”

With four rides at Killossery Lodge Stud on Saturday and a similar number here, it was a busy weekend for Michael Ryan whose sole success came in Sunday’s three-runner open novice class on What Else.

Sarah Wildasin’s eight-year-old Moshaajir gelding was last after dressage but completed on that score of 33 penalties as the flat phase winner, Buccaneer Bay (29), lowered two show jumps while DBS Corland Gold lowered one of the coloured poles and picked up time penalties in both jumping phases.