FRANKFORT Stud hosted an Eventing Ireland-affiliated fixture last Sunday - a late, and welcome, addition to the calendar following the cancellation of Dartfield which was due to be held in Co Galway the day before.
Some divisions were better supported than others, with a total of 97 starters spread out over the 12 classes.
The EI110 (Open) saw just four line up and the winner, James O’Haire, was double-handed. The Co Kildare-based rider landed the victory aboard Patricia Heffernan’s home-bred Son of Montague, an eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse by Womanizer.
The pair led on a dressage score of 33.0 and, on a day where time played a factor across the country, were the fastest in the class to add 9.2 time penalties and finish on a total of 42.2. That saw them well clear of second-placed Padraig Harrington and Avalon Romulus (56.4), while O’Haire was third with Liberty Belle (64.2). Just Heidi Brabazon and Red Ace, who were second after dressage, had jumping problems, picking up 20 penalties for a refusal at 10a, while all four starters were clear over the coloured poles.
It was the winning combination’s first victory from four starts this season, which includes two runs at international level, finishing eighth of 32 starters in the CCI2*-S at Millstreet.
O’Haire has had the horse since a foal after she was bred by his long-time owner out of the mare Tranquil Moonlight (Ricardo Z) who he also evented. “We just brought him [Son of Montague] along slowly. We went away to the event in Oudkarspel in The Netherlands earlier in the season. He’s a talented horse, but a little bit of a worrier, so you have to go gently with him. His target for the season will be to step up to three-star and we will aim for Cornbury,” the winner commented.
“The time is always very hard to get at Frankfort because it’s a twisty track on a hill. I like Frankfort for stepping horses up, it’s a good educational course. Liberty Belle (third) is just coming back from injury, so I knew she could have a nice easy pop around there.”
James himself will next compete at Tullymurry on July 12th but, also juggling the careers of his children, his son Tadhg is riding at Ballindenisk tomorrow (Sunday), while a trip to England to watch his other son Jack, who is based with Pippa Funnell, is also on the cards.
Competitive EI110
The EI110 was much better stocked with 22 starters, 19 of whom completed. The eventual winner was Mark Houlihan and CFH Grand Vivendi who rose from third after the dressage phase to win with just 9.2 time penalties on the cross-country, finishing on a total of 40.7.
Houlihan took over the ride on Jane O’Flynn’s seven-year-old Grand Slam VDL gelding this season and this is their first win from six starts.
The leader after dressage, Ciara Power and the six-year-old Stonehavens Dreaming (42.2), dropped to third with 13.2 time faults in the country.
Slotting into second was Patrick Byrne and Richard Ames’ seven-year-old Sligo Candy Boy gelding Belline Foodys Out of the Blue who produced the only clear inside the time on cross-country but picked up 12 faults in the show jumping phase to complete on 41.5.
Kearns one-two
The top five in the 18-starter EI100 all finished on their dressage score, led by Robbie Kearns who scored a one-two on horses owned by Richard Ames.
His winner was Belline Kasparov who was second after the first phase on 28.0 and finished on that with flawless jumping inside the time. The winner is a five-year-old gelding by Quality Time who was bred by Ian Norris out of the Kroongraaf mare Chestnuthill Lady Milbrook.
Robbie Kearns and Belline Kasparov (ISH) won the EI 100 class at Frankfort Stud \ Tony Walker Photography
In a close second place on 28.3 was Kearns with another five-year-old, the Miguel Bravo-bred Belline Baron Barbados (HHS Cornet x The Echo Factor). The gelding was having just his second affiliated start after finishing 16th of 36 starters at the level in Grove a week earlier.
Heidi Hamilton finished third aboard the eight-year-old TIH gelding Mount Atlas (Nigrasine x Grange Bouncer), owned and bred by Anne Kirwan.
The leader after dressage was Patrick Whelan with Olivier (27.8), but 12 jumping faults and 13.6 cross-country time penalties saw them finish 14th. There was one elimination in the class.
Pillar to post
Whelan bounced back to win the eight-runner EI90 aboard Ballyvee Billy the Barnboy when leading from pillar to post, just adding 1.6 time penalties to complete on 31.1 on the five-year-old gelding’s first Eventing Ireland start. By OBOS Quality out of the mare Coolcorron Imp, Ballyvee Billy the Barnboy was bred by Christopher O’Sullivan and is owned by David O’Sullivan.
Patrick Whelan and Ballyvee Billy the Barnboy (ISH) won the EI 90 class at Frankfort Stud \ Tony Walker Photography
Sophie Bonner finished on her first-phase score of 34.5 to take second place with Riverfield Kannafanta, a 10-year-old Kannan mare owned by Jim Patten who was having her first run under Eventing Ireland rules but she has, in the past, accumulated 43 Showjumping Ireland points. There was one elimination in the class.
EI80
In the day’s EI80, just two of the five starters managed to complete. Best of those to take victory was Patricia Molloy with her own four-year-old Connemara gelding Knockreo Billy (Dunloughan Scot) who was bred by Andrew Tierney.
They added 22.8 cross-country time faults to their dressage score to complete on 61.1.
The only other finisher was Irene Leahy with Irish Tinker who picked up 20 penalties at fence 20 in addition to 16 time faults to complete on 75.0.
The remaining three competitors were eliminated on cross-country.