THERE will be some interest in the presentation phase of next Wednesday afternoon’s Plusvital young event horse classes but more in the jumping phase on Thursday morning when spectators who don’t wish to buy a ticket in the stands will find out how they are catered for in the public areas around the Laya Arena.
Returning winner
Ian Cassells, who won the four-year-old class last August on the Bridget McGing-owned and bred Point Up, doesn’t have a ride in that division at next week’s Gallagher Dublin Horse Show but has qualified two for the five-year-old class. These are Gerry Leahy’s GSA Lagan, a brown gelding by Lagans OBOS Quality who has competed twice at EI100 level, and A Good Call, one of two geldings in the class owned by John Bannon.
The latter rode the black son of Rock N Roll ter Putte in the four-year-old class last August, when they finished outside the placings, but, 12 months previously, had shown the William McDonnell junior-bred gelding to victory in the three-year-old potential event horse class.
There is one other gelding by the same sire in this class, the Denise Redmond-owned, Patrick Whelan-ridden Dolmen Dulcet Tone, but four others by Lagans OBOS Quality including Smith Brothers Eventing’s Laganside whose rider Steven Smith has an excellent record in this class.
Two others, Sportsfield Forever (Fraser Duffy) and Knockalough Lagans (Aine Phelan) are half of a four-strong entry for owner/producer Paul Donovan who has two qualified for the four-year-old class, Sportsfield Copacabana (Sara Lundkvist) and Sportsfield Boleybawn (Fraser Duffy). Six will appear in the catalogue with a ‘For Sale’ sign.
Smith also has a ride in the four-year-old class, his own Phenomene Bleu VDM gelding Black And Blue who qualified at Rincoola.
Qualified by Jason Doerflinger for Co Galway owner/breeder Ralph Conroy is the 2022 Tyson gelding Milchem Mirage whose full-brother, Milchem Giovanni, finished fifth here last August after which he was sold for €80,000 at the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale.
On form
Godfrey Gibbons, who was on the Irish team competing in last week’s inaugural World U25 Eventing Championships at Millstreet, has qualified two geldings for Maurice Coleman’s viz the grey ESI Indigo four-year-old Kilroe Blue Moon and the year-older Kilroe Goldman, a black son of Lagans OBOS Quality.
Sarah Ennis, who finished second in the five-year-old class last August on Fenyas Email, has qualified Gerald Kilbride’s Loch Cruise gelding Kwish Arlow Cruise while her husband Nicky Potterton’s five-year-old home-bred gelding Stellor Showman was qualified by Emily Singleton who works at their Co Meath yard.
The Borris-based Kilkenny International Sporthorses yard of Andrew Williams and John Tilley is well-represented in this four-year-old class. Their entry comprises Adam Ferris’s home-bred Jorado mare Tookorado and the Coolkeeran mare Kool Mynta who will be ridden by joint-owner Anna Stillwell. The latter has also qualified the Vivant van de Heffinck mare La Vie Vivante while Tilley will be on board the Cornet Son gelding Tailor Made KK and the Castlefield Kingston mare Prada KK who is jointly-owned by Victoire Von Schoen.
The international line-up of riders in these DAFM prize-funded classes also features Co Down-based US native Gillian Beale King who qualified Lawrence Patterson’s home-bred four-year-old Jorado gelding Drumnaconnell Leroy and her own year-older Womanizer gelding Coolboy Romeo. Italy’s Luca Bortolamei has qualified two geldings for Carol Gee, the four-year-old Lagans OBOS Quality bay Fernhill Lord Bailey and the five-year-old Je t’Aime Flamenco dun Fernhill Junior.
Those who accepted an invitation to judge these classes are England-based eight-time Australian Olympian Andrew Hoy plus Germany’s Martin Plewa and Kai Rüder.