THERE are 31 combinations representing six nations entered in the Noel C Duggan Structural Steel CCI4*-S, the feature class of Millstreet International Horse Trials (I) next week. New Zealander Jonelle Price will make the journey to Cork from her British base with three of these, among them the former Pau five-star winner Grappa Nera, while Joseph Murphy is also triple-handed for the home side with Calmaro, DStud Flirtation and Barberstown Castle Rehy.
Elizabeth Power, Godfrey Gibbons, Sarah Ennis and Sian Coleman all have two rides each in this class, among which are Ennis’s European Championship partner Dourough Ferro Class Act and Gibbons’ Ballindenisk CCI3*-L victor Ballyvillane OBOS. While the World Chanpionships at Aachen have been mentioned as a goal for Gibbons, he and fellow U25 rider Jennifer Kuehnle, entered here with Sammy Davis Junior, could well make use of this opportunity to prepare for the inaugural U25 World Championships, which will be held at the venue at CCI4*-S level later in the summer.
The Connolly’s Red Mills CCI3*-S will be the largest of the international classes at this edition of the Duggan family’s event, with 38 combinations on the start list. Four of these come from the yard of British-based Australian rider Kevin McNab, while the winners at this level from Ballindenisk’s most recent international, Carla Williamson and Powers, will also line out here. Clare Abbott will move her Ballindenisk CCI2*-L victor, MT Kenobis Touch, up a level at Millstreet, and Hurricane Fly B, the ride of Irish-based Brit Daniel Alderson, has recent form at three-star.
Entrants are divided
At two-star level, entrants are divided between the Foran Equine CCI2*-S and the Coral Cove Championship CCIYH2*-S for six and seven-year-olds. In the former, the combinations who were first and second in this class at Ballindenisk come forward again, namely Maeve Deverell with Annaharvey Dunowen and Alison Holden with Lates Eddie. John Tilley is among the entries with his recent Frankfort winner Grand Espoir, and Hong Kong’s Nicole Pearson will ride two, Miss Pepperpot and Hanerina SSF, the former who has competed at four-star in Millstreet with Kevin McNab.
Ian Cassells will bring his now seven-year-old Lion d’Angers bronze medallist, the Eugene McEntee-bred Rutland Flamenco, forward for the Coral Cove Championship, as well as Bridget Speirs’ prolific young horse class winner BT Just Special and Mary Phelan’s Bellscross Tysons Star. Sarah Ennis also has three rides here, while recently returned from Badminton, Lucy Latta will bring Keamore Louise, the Luidam-sired mare who completed in this class last year under the guidance of Beth Burton.
There are 26 combinations on the start list for the Carr and Day and Martin CCI*-Intro, which features the Ballindenisk winners Lesley Jones and Quality Choice, while there are 13 listed for the Connolly’s Red Mills CCIP2*-S including Kitty Cullen, second here last year on a different ride. Dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo is among the nine entries for the Treo Eile EI105 class with Louise Duffy.
Tickets to the final, which will be held at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials in September, are on offer to the top-placed combinations in the Dubarry Burghley young event horse classes at Millstreet, where Kinsale’s Alice Copithorne has four rides in the five-year-old class. Cathal Daniels, Jason Doerflinger, Patrick Whelan and Sian Coleman all have three rides each entered in the four-year-old equivalent, and names like Cody’s Delight and Killyclogh Spotlight will be familiar to readers of these pages by virtue of the success they have already achieved in age classes this year.
Action at the Green Glens Arena begins on Wednesday, with these Dubarry Burghley young event horse classes, while dressage for the international sections will run throughout Thursday and Friday, and cross-country for all levels will run on Saturday. Follow the action here, and at eventingireland.com.