Brian Hennessy

THE favourite of many to land the 2014 Millstreet Boomerang final, the seven-year-old stallion Codarco certainly didn’t disappoint last weekend, as Corkman Billy Twomey expertly guided the son of Darco to victory on home soil.

A former winner of the National Discovery final at Millstreet with Thomas O’Brien and the four-year-old championship at the RDS in 2012 when ridden by David O’Brien, Codarco has progressed further this year with Billy Twomey.

“I am delighted with the horse’s performance here over the three days, he won the first day and also the final so I am really happy,” said Twomey afterwards. “I think the course was very fair, the course builder has to think about the six-year-olds and he can’t build it too strong for them and he got enough clears in the first round.

“He [Codarco] seems to have all the attributes to go on in the sport, he has had a good bit of experience with me this spring and summer at some of the bigger five-star shows where I am lucky enough to be able to bring him along, with a bit of luck the horse will end up jumping Grand Prix.”

Without doubt the toughest test of the course came at the combination at fence nine in front of the Millstreet big screen. First to go in the jump-off, Britain’s Laura Renwick, faulted here with Utrillo de Breve, although their very fast time of 39.70 seconds would see them finish sixth.

Clem McMahon jumped the first double clear of the competition with the six-year-old Catani Z who is by Cicero Z out of a Cardino dam. They stopped the clock in 41.23 to take third place at the finish. Richard Howley then produced a very smooth round with the Berlin-sired mare Delores and finished just a fraction slower (41.38) to take fourth.

Just like in the Millstreet Ruby final, mares dominated the top six and Shane O’Reilly and the Condios-sired Mouse C slotted into fifth overall with another clear round.

Laura Renwick ended up with two horses in the top six after landing runner-up spot with Washingtonn IX, who was bred in Co Kilkenny by Tom Brennan before finding a new home across the water.

Speaking to The Irish Field as the Boomerang prizegiving took place, the Kilkenny breeder said: “We were getting good reports from the Renwicks all the time about the mare and they rang two weeks ago to say she was coming to Millstreet for the Boomerang.

“She comes from a family that we have had for years that includes Bens Lady Lux, Cuffsgrange Millennium and Kells Angel, who Marion Hughes jumped in Grand Prix, and is a sister to Greg Broderick’s MHS Shamrock. We have lots of the relations at home still which is brilliant.”

Winners of the Millstreet Ruby Final as a five-year-old, Liam O’Meara and the Jacamor-sired Curraghgraigue Jack Takes Flight, had earlier posted a faster time than Twomey and Codarco’s winning round. However they knocked the very last fence on the course to finish seventh overall. Among the others to finish the jump-off with faults were Ellen Whitaker and the Luidam mare Galwaybay Luisbanter, while Daniel Coyle and Country Cruising knocked the oxer turning away from the pocket, finishing one place behind Whitaker in ninth.

Billy Twomey was second last into the arena with Codarco, who looked to have scope to burn and never looked like touching a pole on the way to the winning clear round in 40.59 seconds. Last to jump was Ger O’Neill with Hyakari, who he owns along with Martin Egan, but the Kilkenny rider couldn’t repeat his earlier win in the Ruby final, lowering the troublesome middle part of the combination to finish outside the prizes.