AMERICAN rider Alexa Gartenberg enjoyed the perfect preparation for her approaching five-star debut with Cooley Kildaire, when they won the Goresbridge Horse Sales CCI4*-S at Ballindenisk. The combination lay in second place ahead of Sunday’s cross-country challenge, and their quick clear round for just 3.6 time penalties and a total score of 39.4 saw them edge ahead of their opposition into the top spot.

“Ballindenisk was a super event,” said the Pennsylvania native after her win. “The surfaces in the arenas were excellent, as well as the cross-country. It was literally the perfect cross-country ground. I’m so proud of Cooley Kildaire on his win,” Gartenberg continued.

“He’s a horse with a heart of gold and he deserves to have a result like this.”

Izzy Taylor was awarded the best score (30.3) in the dressage phase of this class for her test with PSH Encore, and she increased her lead on Saturday by jumping a clear round over the coloured poles. Gartenberg and her Thomas Hughes-bred Irish Sport Horse partner Cooley Kildaire (by Fortunus out of HHS Clo Jo) left one pole on the floor, as did then third-placed David Doel and his five-star campaigner Galileo Nieuwmoed.

A steadier cross-country round saw Taylor drop to third on Sunday however, finishing on a total score of 43.1, while Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed were the fastest combination in the class to complete on 39.8. Gartenberg’s winning margin was so tight that had Doel gone just one second faster, he would have taken the win.

Best of the Irish riders in this class was youth athlete Ben Connors riding the nine-year-old Zuperlative, who was having his first run at this level. The combination rose from sixth after dressage (38.1) to eventual fourth on a total score of 50.9, ahead of Darragh Byrne and Madeleine Lloyd Webber’s Teachers Pet, fifth on 56.9. Also making their four-star debut were Oleana Cowan and RCA Royal Mist, sixth on 64.7.

Tom McEwen added to his tally when he topped the podium in the TRM CCI3*-S riding Maestro, an Irish Sport Horse by Mermus R. This class proved to be a duel between Taylor and McEwen, and the former had the initial advantage when she led after dressage with One True Barrington on 28.5. A fence down show jumping, followed by 2.4 cross-country time penalties, saw this combination slip to eventual fifth however, and gave McEwen the opportunity to climb one place into first, finishing on his dressage score of 29.

Taylor still managed to claim both second and third, with PSH Serenade (33.9) and the ex-racehorse Bayaanaat (34.5) respectively, while best of the Irish here was fourth-placed Nicola Ennis with another thoroughbred, Devils Cape, a combination featured for the award they won on page 98.

Daniel Meagher, meanwhile, took sixth with A Classic Sportsfield, adding just 3.6 cross-country time penalties to their dressage score to finish on 41.8.

A second international win

Ian Cassells and Tom McCarthy’s MGH Rioja made it two wins from two international starts, when they added victory in the Aloga CCI2*-S at Ballindenisk to that which they achieved in the Carr and Day and Martin CCI2*-L at Millstreet earlier in the season. The combination added only a handful of time penalties to their leading first phase score of 26.7 to complete on 28.7.

Winners of the CCI2*-S at Ballindenisk Internationa were Ian Cassells and MGH Rioja (ISH) \ Zoe/Horse Sport Images

Patrick Whelan finished second with Maria Radford’s Kilbunny Tahiti exactly two penalties adrift, while just 0.1 of a mark separated them from third-placed Daniel Alderson and Newferry Aga Khan.

“He was really good,” said owner Tom McCarthy after the seven-year-old MGH Rioja’s second consecutive win. “Ian has done a fantastic job with him in a short time. He only took the ride on him shortly before Millstreet, and then the horse had a break until Ian came home from Aachen. We think he’s a very good horse, and he’ll have another break now while we make a plan for next year,” McCarthy concluded.

Third after dressage on 28, Sarah Ennis slipped one spot to eventual fourth with her own Ordonnay after the addition of four faults in the show jumping phase. Patrick Whelan featured in the line-up a second time when fifth with Jill Mitchinson’s Coolaw Mr Duke on 33.4, fractionally ahead of Godfrey Gibbons riding Belline Imperial Diamond, sixth on 33.5.