NIAMH McEvoy got the perfect send off for the young rider European Championships in Germany this week when she took her fourth Plusvital 1.50m Premier Series Grand Prix title in Maryville last Sunday.

McEvoy remains unbeaten, winning every round of the series so far. She won the first round in Barnadown aboard Rock Warrior, the second in Mullingar with Olympic GL FVD, and the third and fourth in Cavan and Maryville riding Ballypatrick’s French mare Flora du Mesnil (Copin Van De Broy x Echogene Lat).

Speaking to The Irish Field from the show in Germany was a delighted Greg Broderick of Ballypatrick.

“That was only Niamh’s second show with the mare, so it’s two wins for two, that couldn’t be better really,” he said.

“She (Niamh) has actually won five Premiers in a row now, because she was first, second and third in the Breeders’ Classic Premier Grand Prix at the end of last year too.

“She’s in great form. She’s doing all the simple things right. She is riding full of confidence which is great.

"She is a very steady head on young shoulders. She’s very natural, she has a great feeling for the job and understands the horses very well. That is how she is able to change between horses so easily. For her age, it is very unique that she understands the horses so well.

“There is a lot of coming and going in our yard. We are buying a lot and selling a lot, but she is putting together a good string. We had some horses in Wellington at the start of the year, we were able to give them a good break and we are able to start them again now.”

Broderick continued: “We have some exceptional eight-year-olds coming along. The group that is coming up behind is the best group we have ever had, so hopefully it bodes well for the future.

“We have two lovely home-breds on the junior and young rider teams here (BP Rocketman with Niamh, and BP Goodfellas with Tabitha Kyle). My sister Cheryl has put a lot of work into the breeding programme over the last few years and, like everything, you have to take the good with the bad, but we do have some nice horses coming through now, and hopefully we will see better quality as time goes on.

“Max (O’Reilly Hyland) had a great result too. He had a very successful pony and young rider career and stepped away for a while to work in the family business and we owned a lot of good horses together.

“I’m delighted to see him back and with the win of the National Grand Prix. That is a home-bred horse of theirs as well. It’s a horse that is going to jump five-star Grands Prix in the future. We have massive expectations for that horse (Rock Warrior). Niamh won the first Premier in Barnadown on him and now Max did that, so it’s great.

“Leah (Stack) had a great win in the six-year-olds too with the home-bred BP Hello Emerald, so a good day all round.”

Strong field

Thirty combinations lined out for the 1.50m Tom Holden-designed track. Eight provided a first-round clear, while three more (Francis Connors, Lt Ruari Clarke and Molly Hughes Bravo) left all the poles in place, but incurred a single time fault.

Robyn Moran and Fortside Clever Candy (Sligo Candy Boy x Lux Z), bred by Brian O’Malley, were pathfinders. They had two fences down, plus one for time for nine faults for eventual seventh place.

Cathal Daniels and his own Cappog Tomy had one down as second to go, but a fast time of 38.81 meant they finished in fourth place as the fastest four-faulters.

McEvoy was third into the ring with Flora Du Mesnil. A superb clear in 37.44 saw them head proceedings and set the pace for the remaining five.

Susan Fitzpatrick and her own French-bred mare Guedelon Batilly had two down in 40.48, which left them in sixth place.

Comdt. Geoff Curran riding the Minister For Defence’s Tempo Manor (Sligo Candy Boy x Lux Z), bred by Noel Wright, notched up 12 faults leaving them out of the money. The Belgian-bred gelding Preston Van’T Reebroeck, owned by Williams Sport Horses Ltd and ridden by Rhys Williams, then collected eight faults in a good time of 37.55 for fifth place.

McEvoy and her second mount, Northstar Sport Horses’ nine-year-old mare Be Kentucky, provided the second double clear of the class, stopping the clock at 41.86 for eventual third place.

Last to go, also riding her second mount in the decider, was Susan Fitzpatrick with the German-bred Valisco Ps. They came closest to catching the leader, laying down a double clear in 38.56 to claim the runner-up spot. That result sees Fitzpatrick take over at the top of the leaderboard on 22 points, accrued after being placed on the same horse, ahead of McEvoy and Flora du Mensil in second on 20 points. McEvoy also holds third and fourth places.

The next round of the Plusvital Premier Series takes place in Balmoral on July 20th.