THERE were some smart types among the 26 starters in the pre-novice class but the emphasis here is on the winner Kudos and third-placed Big Easy, two five-year-old chesnut geldings ridden by Clare Abbott for John and Cormac McKay.

“Big Easy and Kudos did nothing as four-year-olds competition wise,” revealed the Hillsborough rider. “They were broken and I had each one for about eight weeks to ride about. I got them back in in June and they started eventing in August. They are both lovely horses, very different but equally talented.” 

Fifth in Loughanmore and sixth at Kilmanahan, Kudos is by the McKay-bred Simba stallion Gatsby who is now competing in the USA with Darragh Kenny having been first produced here by Gabriel Tunney and, across the Atlantic, by Andrew Bourns. His dam is a daughter of Trevor Smith’s Sydney Olympics ride High-Scope who was also bred by the McKays.

While Kudos, who completed on his dressage score of 24 on Saturday, is registered as being 166cms in height, Big Easy is a lot taller (180cms) but, happily for Abbott, also lives up to the second part of his name. Eighth at Loughanmore and fourth at Kilmanahan, Big Easy, whose sire is unregistered, is a half-brother to the highly-regarded but ill-fated Oakley (by Beach Ball) being out of the unraced British thoroughbred Broadstone Garnet (by Runton).

Big Easy finished on a total of 24.5 having had a show jump down as did the Joanne Jarden-ridden seven-year-old thoroughbred mare MJI Dynamis who led after the dressage phase on 20 penalties and finished second.

The Beverley Caves-partnered Killadeas won the Lafarge Tarmac Intro class for the second time in three starts in spite of adding four cross-country time penalties to his joint-winning dressage score of 21.5.

Bred in Co Fermanagh by Shirley Bothwell, the eye-catching bay is by the Selle Francais stallion Hermes de Reve out of the 2001 OBOS Quality 004 mare ISHD Convoy. Although the family is best known for producing show jumpers, listed among them is the former Padraig McCarthy ride Brockagh Jones.

Sharing the lead with the winner after dressage was the good-looking Porsch gelding Happy Harry, ridden for Terry Johnston by Neil Morrison. The six-year-old, who is out of the Big Sink Hope mare Harreds Clare, lowered two show jumps to finish second on 29.5.