IRISH event riders made their mark in the CCI4*-S Grantham Cup, the feature class of the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby Park, which was held from April 3rd to 5th. Padraig McCarthy and MGH Zabaione finished best of them in fifth place, adding only four cross-country time faults to their dressage score of 33.1, while Austin O’Connor and his former Maryland five-star winner Colorado Blue were sixth after incurring a handful of time faults across the jumping phases to add to their opening mark of 33.

Sam Watson was 12th with the Badminton-bound Ballyneety Rocketman, one place behind the reigning Burghley champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who are also entered for the May five-star. Both rides of Georgie Goss finished in the top 20, with Feloupe in 13th and Kojak in 16th, ahead of Patrick Whelan and Altitu in 17th, while Lucy Latta had two fences down in the show jumping phase to finish 25th with RCA Patron Saint.

The class was won by British Olympian Gemma Stevens and the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse Cooley Park Muze.

Padraig McCarthy added another CCI4*-S fifth to his tally in Section G, this time riding Kilroe Tiger, and he also finished seventh in the same class with Lady Ophelia. Speaking about his rides, McCarthy said: “I’m delighted for the owners of Kilroe Tiger, Di Brunsden and Peter Cattell. This was his first four-star, and we had high expectations of him because he’s an exceptional horse. He’s naturally very fast and he put in a super double clear. We’ll probably aim him for the eight and nine-year-old class at Blenheim, and maybe a CCI4*-L at the end of the year.

“Lady Ophelia had her big pre-Badminton prep run, and also jumped double clear. She put in a very confident round and it was a good set-up for her. I was delighted with her, and with MGH Zabaione, he’s really progressing and getting stronger. He’s capable of a better dressage test, he was a little bit bright, but I didn’t want to overdo him. I wanted to focus on the cross-country and he gave me an exceptional feeling; it was one of the better rides I’ve had on him.

“Pomp N Circumstance’s [who finished 31st in the Grantham Cup with 11 penalties for a pin activation cross-country] dressage test was pleasing, because he’s usually very bright at the start of the year. He had a pin, which is an unusual mistake for him, but he ran well and the plan was never to go fast. He’ll head to Kentucky now.”

Reason to celebrate

As well as finishing 10th in CCI4*-S G with Gina Sivyer’s Carrowgar Je Taime Max, Sian Coleman took second in the CCI3*-S with Kilroe Frolic, the combination putting in one of only a handful of double clears in a mammoth class of 88 completions to finish on their dressage score of 32.6. This gave owner Maurice Coleman further to reason to celebrate, as he had also owned and overseen the production of Kilroe Tiger until he was purchased by his current connections.

Patrick Whelan finished just inside the top 10 in this class, when ninth with SHL Cantbetamed, while Elizabeth Power was 11th with Dassett Fortune. Both combinations jumped double clear, adding only cross-country time faults to their dressage scores of 33.9 and 33.1 respectively.

Susie Berry parted company from her European championship partner Clever Trick at the bank in the Grantham Cup, and had to withdraw the rest of her rides. Though injured, she’s on the mend, and she said: “The most important thing is that ‘Owl’ is absolutely fine and grazing happily in the sunshine. I’m a bit sore, but otherwise good and we’ll be back out soon.”