IRELAND’s Alison Holden bridged an 11-year gap when recording her second international success in the Eventing Ireland CCI2*-S at last week’s Millstreet international horse trials, so we can understand that, when asked about future plans and having obliging discussed them, she finished off by saying; “I’m going to enjoy this win first!”

Back in April 2014, veterinary surgeon Holden won the CCI1* at Ballindenisk on the tall bay gelding Maximus Orielius and her willing partner at Millstreet, her husband Eamon’s Lates Eddie, is similar in height and hue but this 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse does have a recorded pedigree.

Bred in Co Kilkenny by Eddie Moloney, last Sunday’s winner is by My O My out of the Swedish-bred Little Star (by Lucky Mickmooch).

“It was very special to win at one of my favourite events,” revealed Holden. “Millstreet hasn’t always been a lucky venue for me but it all came right for once this weekend. I’ve had Eddie from an unbroken three-year-old and we’ve had a few wobbles along the way not helped by the fact that he grew to 17.3hh and I’m 5ft 4!

“This season we’ve concentrated on show jumping and this was only his second event of the year. The cross-country was fantastic and the ground felt really good. I’m not really sure of future plans, maybe we’ll go back up to 3* or possibly a trip abroad at some stage.”

Out of 29 starters, there were two retirements and one elimination across the country while four combinations were automatically eliminated following show jumping.

Holden and Lates Eddie were lying second after dressage on 29.2 penalties and remained on that score following their clear show jumping round on Saturday. Holden then found herself at the top of the leaderboard as the dressage winner, the USA’s Gillian Beale King had a fence down show jumping with Tullibards Evita and dropped to fifth on a two-phase total of 32.3.

The pressure was on Holden to deliver on cross-country day which, despite 1.2 time penalties, she managed to do, holding off the challenge of Ireland’s Sophie Walshe who completed on her dressage score with the 16-year-old thoroughbred gelding Kinsau (30.7) and Ireland’s Rosie Alcorn who did likewise on her 10-year-old Anglo European Studbook-registered gelding Chrysanthos (31.4).