CSF Thomascourt Zena was guided to victory by Vincent Byrne in last Sunday’s seven and eight-year-old championship final sponsored by GBBS International and Equine Evolve at the Irish Breeders’ Classic at Barnadown.

By Zirocco Blue Vdl out of CSF Princess Doorn, by Prince Des Vaux, the seven-year-old mare is owned by Annemarie Dunne and was bred by Patrick Connolly.

“We are thrilled with the win. She was absolutely brilliant,” Byrne said. “She has been in great form all week. In fairness, she has been a very consistent mare. I started jumping her at the back end of her five-year-old year.

“At our first show together at the Cavan indoor championships, we won the Cavan Crystal five-year-old championship. The week before, we were in the five-year-old final at the Breeders’ Classic. She finished up I think fifth in the RDS final for six-year-olds the following year. She has just been so consistent. She was unlucky to miss out on Dublin this year between one thing and another.

“She has done well in the studbook classes this year; winning the six and seven-year-olds in Tattersalls and placed in Balmoral.

“She is really straightforward and always tries her best for you. She gives all she has every time in the ring. She is quite uncomplicated; she goes in a very simple bridle.

“She has come into some great form recently; it was a competitive class. I got to see Niamh (McEvoy) go before me and she had a brilliant round and I thought I don’t know where you could make up much time, but I said I could try to do quite a similar round and luckily for me the clock stopped in my favour a fraction faster. She is a very competitive mare and, when luck is on your side, she can be as quick as any of them.”

Byrne continued: “The first line was six strides and I did that and then I got a good turn back to the third vertical. The first distance came up and I thought I have to keep on this rhythm now.

“When you start a jump-off like that; a good distance comes up followed by a good turn, you feel like ‘okay I can keep going on this’. After the double in the turn back to the second last, I tried to be as tight as I could in front of the judges’ box.

“I saw a good distance and I didn’t have to make any adjustments coming to it and I think that was definitely a help; it has to be quicker when you don’t have to make any adjustment.

Lanaken hopes

“In the back of our head, we would be hoping for a place in Lanaken (World Breeding Championships for young horses). After a result like that one, that would be the hope that she gets selected.

“My other mare, Gone Girl, also finished in the top 10. She felt brilliant. Again, she has been very consistent, ticked all the boxes all the way along. The plan was to go and be competitive, but she was unlucky and rubbed off the first fence.”

Byrne praised the young horse system in Ireland, saying: “Both mares will definitely go on and be very good horses. I think it’s a testament to the system we have here in Ireland that, if you are producing young horses and following through with the competitions like Dublin, the Studbook classes and the Breeders’ Classic, you end up with top-class horses.

“I’ve been very lucky to have those two mares. We have been careful with their production all the way along and had goals set. They have produced some great results. Having seen some of the Irish-breds that have gone on to be so successful having come through similar systems and classes is exciting.

“The owners of both the mares have taken embryos, so they have that option. Gone Girl has a yearling by Carrera and the Dunnes have a foal, also a filly by the same sire, both by embryo transfer, so that’s nice.

“That means that hopefully, even if the mares are sold or for however long they keep them in the sport, the next generation is coming through and we are trying to improve that all the time. Their progeny are coming through and will end up just as successful.”

Qualified

Sponsored by brother and sister Greg Broderick and Olga Doyle of GBBS International and Equine Evolve, to the tune of €10,000, the final saw 30 starters who had qualified lining out for the 1.30m track.

Just 10 managed to produce a first round clear to proceed to the timed decider. Some 11 had just one fence down for four faults.

Byrne proved quickest of the clears, breaking the finish beam in a time of 37.76 for the win. Crowned Irish national champion the day before, Niamh McEvoy came closest to catching the leader when she partnered Andrew Thomson’s Belgian-bred gelding Cold Play S Z (Casallo Z x Chin Chin) to a double clear in 37.82 for second place.

Emma O’Dwyer and her own German-bred Laconda 50 (Million Dollar x Con Air) finished in third place in 40.89. Fourth went to Jemma Kirk and her own gelding, the Noel Cawley-bred Loughnatousa Buachail (Sligo Candy Boy x Samgemjee) with the only other double clear in 44.77.

The fastest four-faulter was Mikey Pender riding the Bravo Hughes-owned and bred HHS Venice (Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Heritage Fortunus) in what was the fastest time of the day 35.80.

Brendan Murphy with the KM Sport Horses Belgian-bred Chevrolet Van Paemel Z (Cicero Z x Chin Chin) took sixth place with four faults in 37.07.