JUNIOR rider Carla Williamson (17) will be heading to Burghley in September, having won the four-year-old young event horse qualifier at Millstreet last week with her mother Janet’s Irish Sport Horse gelding BMC Cornet Son.

The Diamant de Semily bay, who was bred in Co Antrim by Brian McClintock (out of Cornet Queen by Cornet’s Stern), completed on 88 marks to take the win following the judging of Douglas Hibbert (dressage), Andrew Bennie (jumping) and Johnny Kyle (suitability and type).

“When we bought this fellow unbroken at the Monart Sale last year (for €26,000 from Henry and Joanne Foley), the plan was to qualify for Burghley,” said the owner. “He has a very good temperament and is very straightforward.

“Luckily, we got our ticket last week, as the only other qualifier in Ireland, at the Tattersalls July Show, clashes with Millstreet 2, where Carla plans to ride Powers, so we would have had to travel to England to qualify.

“Cornet Son is on a bit of a break now, but we will probably do a couple of the later Dublin (Young Eventhorse Series) qualifiers with him.”

Earlier in the year, Williamson and BMC Cornet Son finished fourth in the four-year-old Stepping Stones league at Wexford Equestrian, where Cathal Daniels and Colorfield Cascara placed second. Here, Daniels and that ISH mare by Colorit filled the runner-up slot on 87.6, which saw them bag the only other ticket on offer in his 23-runner class.

Bred by Fergal Hennessy out of the Cruising mare Lislan Cruise, Colorfield Cascara is owned by Germany-based Turkish international event rider Kumru Say who didn’t have the best results with her four rides in the FEI classes at Millstreet last week.

Five-year-olds

Cathal Daniels, who had three rides in the four-year-old Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier in Millstreet, had just two in the five-year-old class, but here he comfortably claimed the win on board Hans Juergen Kuehnle’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse stallion, Tullibards Lux Likea Benny (86.5).

The even busier Patrick Whelan completed on 83.7 with Dolmen Dulcet Tone, as did Michael Ryan on ‘Berta’, with the Co Wexford rider being placed second thanks to his higher jumping score (36-33). Happily for Ryan, he also bagged a qualifying ticket in third, as there were 31 starters in this class.

Tullibards Lux Likea Benny is by Tullibards Bennys Legacy - Lux Optimistic, by Lux Z. Bred by the late Jack Murphy, Denise Redmond’s ISH mare Dolmen Dulcet Tone is by Rock ‘N Roll Ter Putte out of Dolmen Different Class, by Quantino. The as yet unnamed ‘Berta’, a daughter of Mr Quincy B, was home-bred by her owner Neve McNamara out of Watermill Swatch mare September Song.

We caught up with Hans earlier this week as he was making his way to Poland where his 10-year-old Beowulf gelding Tullibards You Make Me Feel is competing at Baborówko. He had a lot to tell us about his Millstreet winner.

“Tullibards Lux Likea Benny really does look like his daddy, but with a lot more blood. He won his three-year-old (colts and geldings) loose jumping class at Dublin by a distance and I think he is going to be a top event horse. Saying that, we are not going to over-campaign him this year, as it is all about the future with this fellow. His second crop of foals are on the ground this year.”

While I had the chance, I asked Hans about the four-year-old ISH mare Tullibards Whats Up Boys, who finished third in her Stepping Stones league and was 10th in her Burghley young event horse qualifier at Millstreet but was led out unsold (at €22,000) at the inaugural Goresbridge Copper Beach Sale on Monday

“While it would be good to get some money in, I’m not worried about her as she is a very good mare out of another very good mare, Nikita, who Jenny (his daughter) competed at 3* level.”