Tara Dunne

GREG Broderick has spent the year flying the flag high on international duty but ensured he wasn’t forgotten on the national circuit when winning the 2015 Irish Breeders Classic.

Victorious in 2013, Broderick secured the win for a second time in the Irish Breeders Classic’s fourth year, paired on this occasion with the six-year-old Alberta Mist.

Touted as the richest young horse class in the world, Broderick was one of the top 25 combinations with five and six-year-old horses coming through from two qualifying rounds to contest the grand finale worth €39,400.

The lucrative prize fund is created by a unique initiative which sees great inter-industry co-operation. The sponsorship over the weekend’s young horse championships totalling €50,000 is made up of contributions from the numerous sponsors with riders; owners, breeders, producers and equestrian businesses all coming together to promote the Irish-born horse.

Show organiser Ronan Rothwell said: “I’m overwhelmed by the support for the Irish Breeders Classic. It’s fantastic that the Irish sport horse industry can pull together like this, creating the richest prize fund for young horses in the world. There was a great quality of horse jumping in the class and I think that is something that the industry can be really proud of.”

Broderick told The Irish Field: “It’s a great prize. I’m very lucky to have such good young horses to win it twice. I’ve had Alberta Mist from a four-year-old and he’s always been really consistent. He has been four-year-old champion in Cavan, five-year-old champion in Dublin and this year he just narrowly missed out in the six-year-old championship in Dublin finishing second.”

Broderick continued: “It was a nice course, big enough but my horse has plenty of experience and he handled it well. I was delighted with how he jumped on the day, he was fantastic all week and I knew if I was on the ball we had a great chance at the final. I think with the money on offer riders were taking chances that they normally wouldn’t have so a lot of poles fell in the jump-off. My horse is ultra-careful and when you up the pace he actually gets more careful, that’s the glory of him.”

The victory was also the second for Limerick breeder Ronnie Kelly. Responsible for last year’s winner Talks Cheap, Kelly also bred Alberta Mist. The gelding is by Womanizer out of the dam Lisa, by Landino. Next on the agenda for Broderick and Alberta Mist will be the World Breeding Championships in Lanaken. On Broderick’s last occasion to win the Irish Breeders Classic with Arraghbeg Clover, he subsequently went on to claim a gold medal in Lanaken in the five-year-old divisions and no doubt will be aiming to repeat this feat in the six-year-old section.

CHALLENGING

International course designer Tom Holden had set the challenge for the 25 starting combinations. The six-year-olds clearly had the advantage of experience with more of the older horses represented on the start list. This was reflected in the jump-off with only five five-year-olds making it through to the clocked round while eight made it through in the six-year-old section.

Marti Rudd played pathfinder in the timed decider with her own Monbeg Sunny Spells. Rudd as first to go was faced with the decision between caution and speed and chose the first option logging a fault-free round in a time of 49.41 seconds. It would prove to be the right decision with Rudd and the Tullabeg Fusion-sired gelding as the first of only three combinations to keep a clean sheet over the three days.

Tom Hearne was the first to take on this standard with the Pacino-sired mare Intis and although bettering the time when recording 45.84, incurred four faults with a single error. Ger O’Neill, aboard Castlefield Cass, upped the pace yet again when stopping the clock at 44.25 but again a pole down denied a place in the top six.

Peter Moloney and the Chellano Z-sired Compelling Z proved to be the fastest four faulters in the five-year-old section when posting 40.96, this would hold for eventual fifth position in the line-up.

Jenny Rankin concluded the five-year-old section with MHS Attraction. A recent addition to the Bourns Sporthorses stables, the Numero Uno-sired mare had an uncharacteristic eight faults in 46.86.

Clem McMahon took on the raised course as the first in the six-year-old section with Hilton Pacato but again a clear round proved hard to come by and a time of 42.31 would see the pair finish just outside the top six.

Micheal Pender, having picked up the ride on Srilanka Quality Boy just that week, showed where the shortcuts were when the clock showed 40.47. Once again though one fence was left minus its top rail however Pender and the O.B.O.S Quality-sired gelding were the fastest on this score on the day.

Mark Kinsella faulted early and eased off the pace with DMS Heartthrob but incurred further penalties on the way home, completing on 16 faults in a time of 44.23.

Broderick was next to take it on and showed exactly what had to be done in a textbook display, leaving the remaining four riders chasing his time of 41.27.

Edward Butler rose to the challenge with the Luidam-sired AHG Whiterock Luis across the line in 39.65. A recent winner in the six-year-old Irish Studbook Series final at the Meadows, the pair couldn’t repeat this feat when lowering two fences

Rankin, the only rider to make it double-handed into the jump-off, returned to take on Broderick’s time with Beech Hill Lucia. Another sired by Luidam, the mare is this year’s six-year-old Dublin champion, beating Broderick and Alberta Mist on that occasion. But although coming within striking distance of the time when logging 41.66 Rankin had to settle for eventual sixth place when faulting early in the course.

Philip McGuane was the only other rider on the day to complete on a zero score. Partnering the Cobra-sired LVS Wizard, McGuane saw the clock stop at 42.43 to slot in between Broderick and Rudd.

Last to go was Declan McEvoy with BLM Cosmopolitan Dandy. McEvoy looked set to deliver a faultless round with the Kannan-sired gelding but the penultimate obstacle came down and put the pair out of contention when the clock showed 43.66