IRELAND’S Peter Moloney emerged as the best of the 33 starters in the three-star Big Tour two-phase class last Thursday at Chard, when he completed the second round clear in 29.21 riding Lisa Volk’s 13-year-old gelding Nielson.
Moloney finished exactly half a second ahead of runners-up Mark Edwards and Tinkers Touch, in a class where 12 combinations produced double clears. Among them too for Ireland was Shane Breen, who finished 10th on the Patrick Connolly-bred Irish Sport Horse Csf Thomascourt Zena (VDI Zirocco Blue x Prince de Vaux) when they crossed the finish line in 34.97.
The three-star Small Tour jump-off class on Saturday concluded with another good result for Irish breeders when Alexander McLean and the Pierce Doyle-bred Kilcoltrim Diamond (Diamant de Semilly x OBOS Quality) were the fastest of five double clears by a margin of more than a second.
Trevor Breen finished eighth here after two rails hit the ground during his jump-off round with Drewmain Meira, before going on to claim a cool €4,230 for third place in the second three-star Big Tour LR Qualifier on board Konrad Obolensky.
Iwan Carpenter topped the leaderboard here as he did in the first qualifier, while Shane Breen also featured in fifth with Be Golden.
Trevor Breen had also earned a podium placing the previous day, when he took third in the one-star Silver Tour speed class with Be Grayson in a time of 71.17.
The class was won by Nikki Curtis and Destination in an incredible time of 63.44, while another Irish Sport Horse in the form of Agh Whiterock Abbey (Diamant de Semilly x Cardento) finished second for Kate Ward in a steadier time of 68.60.
Be Grayson added this third placing to the one he gained on Thursday in the one-star Silver Tour two phase special class on Thursday, a position Breen shared equally with Vicky Mitson and Classic Addiction when they finished on exactly the same time of 37.79.
Stars of the future
Shane Breen, Anthony Condon and Peter Moloney all enjoyed success with their younger rides across the CSIYH1* classes at Chard, where Breen finished second and fourth in Thursday’s seven-year-old two-phase special riding Bollerup Gloria and Z7 For T respectively.
Peter Moloney was seventh here on board Osaka Q and, like several through the week, the class was won by Iwan Carpenter, this time riding Merllyn’s Special Illusion.
In the six-year-old equivalent the following day, Anthony Condon picked up fourth with Sfs Dodged’EM.
In the following day’s seven-year-old speed class, Z7 For T went one better for Breen by finishing on the podium in third, while Osaka Q was fifth for Moloney.
Breen also took third in that day’s six-year-old two-phase special with Convio PS, where Anthony Condon added a 10th place to the tally of Sfs Dodged’EM. The class was won by Yazmin Davis riding Coldharbour Rebel.
Breen repeated the feat of being third in both the six and seven-year-old classes on Saturday, this time with the duo of Bollerup Gloria and Convio PS, before winning Sunday’s seven-year-old Final with the stallion Z7 For T.
Four combinations produced double clears here, and three of them came from Irish riders. Crossing the finish line in a time of 36.67, Breen finished just a hair’s breadth ahead of Britain’s Beth Vernon and Boxted Mimi (36.96) while also remaining true to form in third with Bollerup Gloria after a quieter round for 39.34. Moloney and Osaka Q took fourth in 40.80.
Anthony Condon led the Irish charge in the six-year-old Final, earning his best placing of the week in second with Sfs Dodged’EM behind Katie Speller and Z7 Leela. Four combinations jumped double clear here too, while Shane Breen finished fifth as the fastest four-faulter from the first round. with Convio PS.