ELIZABETH Power and her own gelding Doonaveeragh O One won the Underwriting Exchange 1.40m National Grand Prix at the Ballivor Show last Sunday.

By High Roller out of a Diamond Lad mare called Doonaveeragh Diamond, Power’s 18-year-old mount proved that age is just a number when he produced a winning jump-off time of 45.08, almost half a second faster than closest rival in 45.36.

The pair have been enjoying a fantastic run of form this summer, having not competed at any classes in 2018, so far this year they have won two National Grand Prix classes, Ballivor and Ballinasloe and finished in fourth place in the New Heights Grand Prix, also in Ballinasloe last month.

A disappointingly small start list of just 20 lined out for the sixth round of the league over the James Tarrent-designed track.

Just four of the 20 made it through to the timed decider where the pathfinder was Jamie Garland and the Luidam-sired Zedleppin. They were unlucky to collect four faults at the second fence in a good time of 45.36 which would seen them take eventual fourth place.

Second to have a go was Francis Connors riding Erne Lady Goldilocks. They produced the first double clear stopping the clock at 45.85 to claim the runner-up spot in the final line-out.

Young rider Grace McHugh and GMH Sporthorse’s Berlios Van de Kapel left all the fences intact but in a cautious time of 52.84 for third place.

Power and Doonaveeragh O One were last to go. The pair began well but it was their run from the double to the oxer at number four where they really made up ground. A tight right-hand turn to five followed by another to the vertical at six saw them break the finish beam at 45.08 and secure the victory.

Fifth place having collected a single time fault in the first round went to Liam O’Meara riding Oldtown KC, while sixth place went to the fastest four-faulter from round one Paddy O’Donnell and his own gelding Minority Report.

Speaking after the win, Elizabeth’s father Con Power said, “I won this class back in the 1970s riding a Ballivor-bred horse called Coolronan and now here today my daughter has won it at its new home in ‘Coolronan’.”

This is the first time the Ballivor show has been run on the land of the Conroy family in Coolronan and the conditions at the venue received high praise from Power.

“Back in the 1970s, myself, Paul Darragh and Eddie Macken would all have been competing at one of the top shows in the world the Aachen international show in Germany one week, and then we would come back for the Ballivor Grand Prix as it carried with it one of the biggest prize purses of the year of €3,000.

“I think that this new venue is world class. The effort the local people put in is amazing. The arena was great and it’s lovely to see a show run on grass. Hopefully the attendance by Grand Prix riders will be up next year because this really is a fantastic show.”

The next round of the Underwriting National Grand Prix takes place today (Saturday) at the Galway County Show.