IN what promises to be a real treat for eventing supporters, Millstreet is gearing up to welcome one of its biggest eventing international entries to date.

Next week’s enduringly popular fixture has yet again attracted a glittering array of eventing hierarchy who will join others in contesting the full quota of classes over the four days of competition.

Standing out among those attending are Olympic riders from Australia, Britain, Italy and Ireland, among whom is the dual gold medallist Laura Collett and Tokyo silver medallist Kevin McNab. Collett aside, the large British contingent also features former world championship squad member Gemma Stevens, as well as her fellow internationals including Emily King, Izzy Taylor and Max Warburton.

Flying the home flag, Ireland collectively sees possibly one of its strongest turnouts of riders, who are spearheaded by Badminton hero Austin O’Connor, Aoife Clark, Cathal Daniels, Sarah Ennis, Jennifer Kuehnle, Padraig McCarthy and Sam Watson.

Overall, 15 nations are represented including contingents from Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the USA.

“We’re delighted with the entry, which is our second highest ever and the highest since 2015,” commented Thomas Duggan. “We’ve put in a lot of work over the autumn and spring and this recent spell of dry weather has been a gift in terms of preparation, especially in comparison to the wet and mud we had this time 12 months ago.”

Now one of just four international fixtures in Ireland, Millstreet’s appeal lies both in its unparalleled infrastructure, as well as the lure of the Mike Etherington-Smith designed tracks. This year, the renowned designer has made a number of changes to the tracks and, following his recent visit to the venue, he commented: “I’m very pleased with how things are progressing – it’s looking good and is where I think it should be.”

As they did last year, the tracks will run in a clockwise direction but, featuring a new start and finish, they will kick off on the opposite side of the driveway in what was previously the warm up area. From here, riders will wind their way towards the main park area, where they will find a number of significant changes.

“There are several new fences and the entire course has a slightly different frame to it,” explained Etherington-Smith. “The main water complex has been opened out and reshaped, which will create different opportunities, and there is a new sunken road behind the control area. "Overall, there is probably a bit more to jump in the second half, and I’m hoping that it will be more time influential.”

Competition

With support from DAFM, Connolly’s Red Mills and the ever-generous Duggan family, 11 classes (including the two Burghley Young Event Horse qualifiers) are due to be staged over the four days. As a result of the mammoth entries, the timetable has been revised with the first horse inspection now taking place on Wednesday evening.

The riders’ meeting will also be held on Wednesday, prior to the welcome reception. All involved have been asked to check the new timetable, which sees significant changes to several classes.

Historically low in support, Duggan was especially pleased to note that the feature CCI4*-L sports a field of over 20 starters. The star-studded list contains numerous combinations with solid form and, as a result, it promises to be a tight competition.

Picking out just a few of the likely favourites, the British pairing of Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley could be the ones to watch. The pair has racked up two intermediate wins this year, while always in contention, Max Warburton looks to have a chance with his level first-timer Coburg. From Italy, the newly reinstated Vittoria Panizzon (DHI Jackpot) put in a good performance at Blenheim last year and, while as a combination they are short of recent form, they could emerge as the dark horse.

The home team hold an equally competitive hand, with Sarah Ennis (Dourough Ferro Class Act) and Aoife Clark aboard the former Jonelle Price-ridden Full Monty de Lacense probably standing out among the pack of seven.

Favourite

In the short format equivalent, sponsored by Connolly’s Red Mills, the possible favourite could be Australia’s Kevin McNab, who is double-handed with his recent Strzegom CCI4*-L and CCI3*-L victors, Faros Imp and Wilfred Lancer.

Another likely to feature at the business end are last year’s Le Lion d’Angers world champions Gemma Stevens and Chilli Morning IV, as well as Izzy Taylor with The Underdog.

The Irish sport a sizeable contingent and, while many are short of mileage at the level, Sian Coleman could go well with her first-timer Carrowgare J’Aime Max. The pair were runners-up in the CCI3*-L at Ballindenisk this spring, and could be the ones to watch.

One of the most interesting classes of the weekend is the Coral Cove championship (CCIYH2*) for six and seven-year-olds. An early season marker for Le Lion d’Angers selection, 40 high-class combinations are set to go to post. The ante post favourite could be Steven Smith with the exciting You Neek, while others with strong form include Sam Watson (Ballybolger Goldman) and, from across the water, Max Warburton aboard Monbeg Condor.

The full timetable and classes can be found on www.eventingireland.com