Sally Parkyn

AS the finishing touches are put in place, the inaugural Millstreet International Horse Trials will get underway at Drishane Castle next Friday.

Breaking yet more new ground for the pioneering Duggan family, the fixture marks the first senior international event at the venue, which of course hosted a much applauded Pony European championships last year.

Spurred on by the positive reports from the 2014 pony fixture together with a prize fund of over €27,000, overseas entries have exceeded all expectations. Among them are riders from Australia, Britain, Finland, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand and America as well as a strong and sizeable contingent from Ireland. The antipodean challenge appears especially powerful, and standing out among them is the legendary New Zealand Olympian Blyth Tait.

Compatriot and fellow Olympian Dan Jocelyn is also well mounted, as is the 2014 Luhmuhlen victor Tim Price and WEG squad member Lucy Jackson. The British also look impressive and featuring in their squad of 25 riders, are senior internationals Nicky Roncoroni, Polly Stockton and JP Sheffield.

Once again, a large part of the attraction to overseas competitors is the wide range of classes on offer. While there are 57 entries in the CIC*** alone, others are neatly spread between the CIC**, CIC**YH (seven-year-olds), CIC*, CIC*YH (six-year-olds) and the CNP**.

“I’m very pleased with the entries, and it’s terrific to have attracted so many from overseas,” said host and organiser Thomas Duggan. “Now we have to deliver the goods! It’s been timely to have this event coming so soon after our international show jumping show, as we have our international all weather show jumping arena all ready and waiting. This of course comes complete with our international standard show jumps, which were sourced from the London Olympic Games in 2012.”

In order to facilitate the cross-country distance required for the three-star class, Duggan has extended last year’s track to include the picturesque acreage around the 15th century Drishane Castle. Over the past 12 months, visiting course designer Mike Etherington-Smith and builder Danny Dulohery have been hard at work delivering a new loop that will surely live up to the high standard set last year.

“We are now running over the full distance,” confirmed Duggan. “Mike has built a good flowing track with options where needed.”

The course, which is thought suitable for first timers at the level, initially follows last year’s championship course, before branching out to encompass land around the castle and running alongside a tributary of the River Finnow. This is close to the confluence of the River Blackwater and fences have been strategically placed at the most picturesque sites. One such feature runs adjacent to the atmospheric Prayer Walk, a tree-lined path frequented by the former residents of the French order of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus. While most of the influential fences are likely to be found on the original track, a corner exiting the wood in the new sector could well be challenging.

CIC***

In what appears to be a very open class, the feature CIC*** has drawn an impressive entry of 57 runners, half of which is made up by visiting riders. Any one from the star-studded list holds a live chance, but standing out among the favourites could be Blyth Tait, whose four rides include his Tattersalls CIC*** runner up Xanthus. Compatriot Jesse Campbell partners his four-star campaigner Kaapachino, while fellow Kiwis Lucy Jackson and Tim Price are likely to be prominent with their Irish bred entries (Bosun and Bango). From England, Nicky Roncoroni rides her Irish-bred Nations Cup gelding Watts Burn, and also looking competitive is Nick Gauntlett with Carden Earl Grey.

Strong as the visiting sides may be however, the Irish contingent appears more than up to the challenge. With two rides Aoife Clarke has a particularly powerful hand, as does Sarah Ennis, Patricia Ryan and Sam Watson. The latter runs the youngster Imperial Sky, but could well pull off a popular victory off with the veteran Horseware Bushman.

The interesting CIC** and CIC* classes for young horses will make for compulsive viewing and kicking off on Friday should prove an invaluable yardstick for Le Lion D’Angers selector Janet Murray.

In addition to the action out on track, another new initiative will be staged inside the main indoor arena on Friday evening. Running under the title of Eventing Young Irelander, and following similar lines to the well-established Millstreet Young Irelander show jumping class, it will feature a number of pre-qualified three-year-olds showing the potential to make event horses. Thomas Duggan believes that the international horse trials provide a great opportunity, and a perfect platform to showcase these talents to a wider audience. With that in mind he has also arranged for a similar selection of four and five-year-old horses to be exhibited under the lights the following evening.

The stage is setting for Ireland’s newest international to open its doors – let the show begin.