OVERALL winners of the TRM Show jumpers Club Spring Tour earlier in the season, Robin Carey got his National Grand Prix campaign off to a promising start when he secured victory in the Cooley Farm-sponsored Premier Performance National Grand Prix at Barnadown last Saturday.

Riding Luicruz, the Kilkenny rider kept all the poles in place in a runaway time of 39.41 seconds to take the winner’s share of the €4,000 on offer. Going early in the jump-off, Carey made up time from the start from one to two and maintained this pace. Towards the end, he navigated a good turn-back from the double to the penultimate oxer and then on to the last vertical.

Luicruz is a 10-year-old Luidam mare owned by Carey and was bred by Sean Fahey out of the Puissance mare All Cruz. She was bought in Goresbridge Horse Sales and was campaigned by Robin’s brother Adam Carey until she was a six-year-old.

Delighted with the win, Carey said: “It was a big class today and the course was technical and big. The ground was super and big credit to Maurice Cousins and his team. The plan for the jump-off was to keep a good rhythm, keep the cool and don’t go too fast and don’t have a fence down. She is very fast against the clock, but maybe doesn’t have the biggest stride. She is a real fighter. I’d say I made up the time in the turns and back to the double where I could stay galloping. This really suited her.”

There was a great turnout for this round, with 68 combinations going to post. From the original starters, 18 booked their place against the clock.

Lt. Michaeli Byrne came closest to catching Carey as she partnered the Minister for Defence’s eight-year-old Dunboyne to a clear in 42.09. The Elvis Ter Putte gelding was bred by Stacey Babes out of Wrenwood Bambilino (Sibon W).

In a good day for the Army Equitation School, Second Lt Ruari Clarke also answered all the questions aboard Bonmahon Beach and, despite almost catching his colleague, their time of 42.11 saw him slot into third place. Bred by Richard Fitzgerald, the 10-year-old gelding is by Emerald Van’t Ruystershof and out of the Temple Clover-sired Bonmahon Tanya.

Emma O’Dwyer also stayed within the 42-second mark with her own nine-year-old gelding Cornetto Denfer (Cornet Obolensky x Litsam), clocking 42.76 for eventual fourth place. Second Lt Raphael Lee wasn’t to be outshone by his colleagues and, riding the Frank and Laura Glynn-bred Killossery Kilshane (Pettermill x Cruising), kept all the poles in place in a time of 43.23 for fifth place.

John McEntee opted for the longer lines with the Sandra Duffy-owned CSF Andrew (Dakar VDL x Prince des Vaux) and it paid off, as he crossed the line in 46.24 for sixth place. Mikey Pender and HHS Los Angeles also delivered a double clear in 46.44, as did Harry Marshall and Tango E.T in 46.68 for seventh and eighth places respectively.