FOOTBALL might well be coming home at Wembley tomorrow evening and while, in his role as commentator, Chris Ryan has yet to roar out “Goooooal” at a Young Eventhorse Series qualifier – or final – who knows what he might come out with at Lambertstown next month.
“I don’t think we have ever seen a better bunch of four-year-olds!” enthused Ryan following this second leg of the series which, once again, is being used as a conduit for the RDS young event horse championships. At his home venue of Scarteen, Ryan had a long spell with the microphone on Thursday with action in the Derby arena commencing an hour after the first horse entered the dressage arena at 8.30am.
“The four-year-olds were really exciting and some of them had a super gallop,” added Ryan. “What’s more, the value of the series was underlined last week with the 2019 Dublin five-year-old winner, Claragh Olala, finishing second in the CCI3*-S at Kilguilkey while the four-year-old champion, Future News, was also second in the CCI2*-S at Keysoe.”
Section A of the four-year-old class was won by the Jessica O’Driscoll-ridden Irish Sport Horse Coolcorron Beacon Hill (283.2 points) who had winning form to his name earlier in the year in the Stepping Stones to Success League. The Numero Uno gelding has done some registered show jumping under his owner, former jockey David Splaine, who bred the bay out of the Carroll House mare Carroll Eile. The latter ran, without distinction, in four point-to-points as a five-year-old.
Qualifying in second was the Maurice Coleman-owned, Sian Coleman-ridden Kilroe Tiger (280.2), a chesnut ISH gelding by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Ringwood Hype out of Coolcorron Imp (by Master Imp) and, in third, the traditionally bred ISH gelding Hidden Eclipse (270.1), by Chinook Eclipse, who was ridden for another former jockey, Trevor Horgan, by Louise Codd.
Sian Coleman fared better in Section B which she won comfortably on the ISH mare Diamond Mistress (285.2). By the Holstein stallion Diarado, the bay was bred by her owner, Kate Jarvey, out of the Master Imp mare Shes My Master (CCI3*-S). The only other qualifier out of this section was the ISH chesnut Mister Morandi (269), an Island Commander gelding ridden by Louise Codd for Trade Horses Ltd.
Amelia Furnell won the five-year-old Section A class with her own Brownstowns Blue Steel (ISH) at the RDS young event horse qualifier at Scarteen \ Tadhg Ryan Bit Media
Five-year-olds division
Two horses have qualified for the final from Section A of the five-year-old class where the winner was the Amelia Furnell-owned and ridden ISH gelding Brownstowns Blue Steel (290.4) who has competed in three EI100 classes this season. The grey, who was bred in Co Kildare by the Draper family, is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Womanizer out of Rosses Misty Sea (by Sea Crest), dam previously of the Captain Clover gelding, Rosses Captain (CIC3*).
Alice Copithorne qualified in second here with another by Womanizer, Lorraine Desmond’s ISH mare Miss Izzy Show Bizzy (279.3) who is out of Kylebrack Rebel (by Rich Rebel), and then won Section B on Onceuponatime (300.9) who has had four outings under Eventing Ireland rules. An ISH mare by Barely A Moment, the grey was home-bred by owner Deirdre Connolly out of Monicas Dream (by Maltstriker) who also bred the 2014 Robin de la Maison mare Fairytale (CCI2*-L).
Qualifying in second and third were Christine O’Donnell with her father Kevin’s Cruisings Ambassador gelding Point And Go (292.9) and Daisy Duggan with her own OBOS Quality 004 gelding Ellaghmore Erhart (289.6).
Winner of the Junior/Young Rider RDS qualifier at Scarteen was Bryan Bourke riding Killea Quality Cruise \ Tadhg Ryan Bit Media
Junior/Young Rider qualifer
There were 11 starters in the RDS Junior/Young Rider event horse qualifier. Ten of these were Irish Sport Horses, the odd one out being the previously qualified thoroughbred Murphs Legend, who finished fifth (284) under Amy Lambert.
The winner, Killea Quality Cruise (299), ridden by Bryan Bourke for his father Donal, had also qualified at Tullylish. This five-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding, who is competing in the EI100 (J) at Ballindenisk tomorrow, is out of Molougha Cruise Hill (by Cruising).
Thursday’s qualifying slots went to Rebecca Coonan on her mother Susana’s seven-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding Master Quality Imp (296), a combination who were seventh in the CCI1*-Intro at Kilguilkey House last weekend, to Jess Widger with the similarly aged Mr Big Cat gelding Grantstown Mr Big (290), and to Sophie Mullane who was riding her own six-year-old Prescotts Diamond mare, Diamond Dreamer (288).