A TRIO of Irish Sport Horse geldings, all competing for the USA, filled the top three places in the CCI3*-L at TerraNova last weekend.

The win went the way of First Obama (37 penalties), a 12-year-old by Diarado who was bred in Co Clare by Mikey Kelly out of Ruskey Lady (by Rich Rebel) and was ridden at the Florida international by Marley Stone Bourke. The dark brown gelding was first produced here by veterinary surgeon Michael O’Toole under whom he finished fifth in the CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk in September last year.

Bourke and First Obama were lying third after dressage but, even with the addition of 3.2 time penalties, they moved up to second following cross-country. They again incurred time penalties on the final day but jumped clear for a winning total of 37. In contrast, the leading combination of Riley Zgrebnak and the 13-year-old Cooley Criminal Mind (Diamond Roller - Ballyneety Royale, by Beau Royale) dropped to third (46.9) with three fences down.

Despite lowering a pole show jumping and picking up 1.2 time penalties, Sydney Elliott moved up from fourth overnight to finish second on Greenhall Good Decision who had one 3* run here, at Lisgarvan in August 2024, when campaigned out of Jane O’Flynn’s yard by Susie Shekleton for owner Dick McElliogott. The eight-year-old Ars Vivendi bay was bred by Derry Rothwell out of the top show mare Greenhall Indicator (by Limmerick).

As Stone Bourke flew straight from Florida to New York for long-awaited surgery on a separated shoulder, the Irish Horse World contacted her Co Mayo-born husband Tim Bourke at their home in Northern Virginia to which he had flown home with the couple’s eight-year-old son Senan. He explained how they purchased the TerraNova winner.

“We usually buy young horses to bring along ourselves, but the opportunity arose to purchase a well-performed horse for Marley and we were heading to Britain to do so. As there didn’t seem to be anything there that suited, I put a message up on Facebook that I was going to Ireland and for anyone with a suitable horse to contact me.

“Michael (O’Toole) did so, I went straight from the airport down to Tinahely and we had the horse bought the following day. Marley only really started riding him in June and, with the ground here in the States so hard over the summer, she wasn’t really able to get a CCI run into him until September. While it would have been nice to go to Fair Hill, that was just a bit too early, so we headed to TerraNova instead. I will keep him ticking over for Marley until she’s ready to ride again in the spring when he will be aimed at an Advanced and then, hopefully, move up to 4*.”

Asked about Milchem Giovanni, who will be joining his full-sister Sing To Me Cooley (Milchem Melody) at the Bourke yard, having been purchased for €80,000 at the recent Goresbridge Go For Gold sale by supportive owner Willie White, Bourke replied: “I’m really excited about riding him. He is due here next week but, in the meantime, he’s being very well looked after by Andrea (O’Brien) at EIS.

“When I was growing up as a kid, and afterwards when I was student at Gurteen, we were always in Milchem competing or schooling. We have bought horses from Ralph (Conroy) before and they have always been lucky.”

Ridden by New Zealand’s Hayley Frielick, the 10-year-old ISH gelding Sportsfield Lumiere (Orestus - Utah va de Bucxtaele, by Phin Phin) finished second (31.8) in the CCI4*-L behind the 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding QC Diamantaire (29.7) who was partnered by the aforementioned Sydney Elliott.

Also competing for the host nation, Kimmy Cecere placed third with the Anglo European Studbook-registered 11-year-old gelding OS Hermintage who was first produced on the show jumping circuit by Ireland’s Shane O’Meara.

On his first completed start on his third attempt at 4* level, the 10-year-old ISH gelding Fernhill Salt Lake (My O My - Salt Lady City, by Yeats) finished third (39.7) in the hands of Canada’s Waylon Roberts. Here, the honours went to the USA’s Will Coleman riding Diabolo (35.4).

In the CCI2*-L, the highest-placed ISH was the eight-year-old gelding Rock Island (Island Commander - Coolcorran Gypsey, by Coolcorron Cool Diamond), who finished fifth, immediately in front of the similarly-aged ISH gelding Ardeo Dance Monkey (Stetter - Kingstona, by Koperniks).