THE penultimate class of the week at the Cavan Winter Horse Festival in Cavan in the Boomerang arena was the €3,000 six/seven-year-old final, sponsored by Jim Derwin Bloodstock.

Thirty-six combinations came forward from the qualifying rounds to take on the 1.30m track designed by Klaus Holle with 14 of those moving onto an entertaining and lightning quick jump-off. Jumping third last in the second round, Connaught junior rider Cian McMunn made the late draw count when coming out on top with the only seven-year-old in the line-up, OBG Azarro. The Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve chesnut gelding proved unbeatable in 31.70.

After the class, Cian’s father Cathal told The Irish Field: “We are delighted with the win, Azarro jumped super. I own him with David and Christina O’Brien who also bred him. I have had him since he was a four-year-old and we have produced him slowly. He is a very big horse, around 17.2hh, so we wanted to allow him to grow into his body and take his time.

“Clients came to buy him last year but David made the decision not to sell and have Cian ride him as we think he could jump at the highest level in the near future.

“We aimed Azarro at the class back in August and brought him to Cavan in September to get a feel of the arena and we’re very happy we could pull it off. I think Cian taking out a stride from the first to the second fence, and also the last line, was the winning of the class. We will lightly work him over the winter and then aim for the seven/eight year-old class at the RDS next year,” he added.

Australian native Jake Hunter, who has been based in Mayo for a number of years, gave it a great try with the leading six-year-old horse in the class, Little Looker, setting a time of 32.54. The El Barone chesnut mare is owned and bred by Sandra Duffy/Ireland Horse Sport & Leisure Ltd and looks to have a bright future ahead.

After having a successful day on Saturday, Munster young rider Kate Lynch came back on Sunday just as determined to make her mark which she achieved when completing the podium on her own six-year-old CCL Candy Balou with the Sligo Candy Boy gelding coming home in 33.21.

Lynch told The Irish Field: “Balou has been a great horse for us so far and shows a lot of ability to keep going up the grades. We bought him as a foal in Goresbridge and has been very consistent over the last couple of seasons, qualifying for RDS as a five-year-old and also coming second in the Millstreet Ruby Final last year.

“This year he qualified for the Boomerang Final and jumped in the autumn Grand Prix in Millstreet a couple of weeks ago, as well as winning two young rider Grands Prix over the summer. Next season we will aim him for the seven/eight-year-old class at the RDS.”

No stranger to success, Clem McMahon was next in line when partnering with Cathy Cuffe’s bay mare Piamante, by Komme Casall Tn, to finish fourth in 35.36 and clear. The Army Equitation School made their mark in the jump-off when Lt James Bracken and Lissaniska also went clear in 36.74 to take fifth, with Darren Hopkins completing the line up on Aloga’s Chacoona Catana.