CMG Winchester, a seven-year-old gelding owned and ridden by Dermott Lennon was named the Elliott Group six and seven-year-old champion last Saturday evening at Cavan Equestrian Centre.

By Kannan, he is out of Loughview Diamond Lux (Lux Z) and was bred by Conrad McGuinness. Speaking after the win, Lennon told The Irish Field: “I bought him from the breeders when he was three years old. He is a really nice horse and is improving all the time. Alex Finney rode him in Dublin and Millstreet and he was very close, just a little mistake here and there. He jumped lovely.

“He is a horse that really wants to do his job. He is out of a sister of Loughview Lou Lou (Lennon’s multiple five-star winning mount) and that’s probably why I bought him. Conrad McGuinness bred him and he kept saying ‘this one’s for you’, so I bought him.

“He didn’t do much last year; he did a bit at the start and then I was giving him a bit of a break around August time. When I went to bring him in to do the back end of the year, we discovered he had ringworm, so he stayed out for another six weeks and ended up missing the end of the year and was just worked over the winter.

“This class used to be a real feature of the year. When I started, it was called the Harp (6 & 7yo) and the Guinness (5yo) back then. I think it was 30 years ago when I won the Guinness there with Liscalgot (Lennon’s World Championship winning mount in 2002) and then she was second in the six and seven-year-olds two years in-a-row, so I have a great connection with the class.

“The class was very well supported and there was a great atmosphere. The courses were good; it was built maybe not as technical as some tracks, because when you put it up twice it becomes big enough.”

Lennon continued: “I’ve known Noel Elliott [sponsor] for a long time and they are great supporters of the sport. I met him in the car park on Saturday morning; he rolled down the window of his car to say hello. I said ‘I’ll be chatting to you later on this evening, don’t worry…’ These classes that have a bit of history about them; they are always nice to win them. They have a bit of prestige.”

CMG Winchester will now have some downtime after a long season. “I plan to give him a bit of a break now. We started off in April in Italy this year, where he did five seven-year-old classes and won two of the seven-year-old Grands Prix down there, and placed every day.

“He won a few of the Horse Board classes during the summer and did well in Dublin and Millstreet. He’s had a great season. If he keeps developing the way he is, he will be one that should progress. He finds the jumps quite easy and he loves his job, which is important.

“He had a great round against the clock and he came out quite unruffled, which is sort of my thing a little bit. It was a very fast class; he made a few nice turns and was quick without galloping and going mad. So, we are very happy with him,” Lennon concluded.

A total of 39 combinations had qualified on the Wednesday and Friday of the show for Saturday’s final, which offered a prize fund of €8,500.

Clear first round

Held over three rounds, the class starts at 1.30m. Twenty riders managed to produce a clear first round. An even dozen left all the poles in place through the second round to earn a place in the timed decider.

Lennon proved fastest of these, stopping the clock at 34.95 for the win. Shane O’Reilly, riding Brian McConville’s home-bred mare Bwe Windsor (Casallco x Darco), took the runner-up spot when crossing the finish in 35.71.

Jack Ryan aboard Susan Fitzpatrick’s six-year-old Belgian-bred mare N-Conthagirl DS (Conthargos x Coeur De Cachas D.S) finished third in 36.29. Shane O’Reilly and his second mount, Connie McConville’s Billy Hopper (Conthargos x Kroongraaf), bred by Donal Barnwell, broke the beams in 36.66 for fourth place.

Cavan’s own Camryn Clarke and another one bred by Donal Barnwell, Jordan Coyle’s Billy Mombasa (Billy Mexico x Capitol), slotted into fifth in 37.92. Jodie Creighton and Leanne Marshall’s mare GHS Corriana (Cornet Obelensky x Dg Hunters Tally) took sixth place as the only other treble clear round.