By Tara Dunne
cruising SIX-YEAR-OLDS
GREG Broderick continued his run of exceptional form when taking the honours in Saturday night’s Cruising Six-Year-Old National Championship.
Partnering Kevin Babington’s Super Chilled, Broderick ensured the chesnut gelding lived up to his name when romping home with time to spare under the lights in Dublin’s main arena.
Playing pathfinder in the five horse jump-off, Broderick picked what would prove to be the fastest way home and set an unbeatable standard of a faultless round in a time of 33.18 seconds. Bred by Greg’s sister Cheryl, Super Chilled is by Gelvin Clover out of Ballypatrick Codex, by Codex.
Broderick said afterwards: “He just feels like he is a class act. He is really smart in the ring, he’s green but he has a great mind. He’s always one step ahead of you instead of one step behind. He’s an exciting prospect I really feel like the sky could be the limit for this horse.”
The six-year-old has had an interesting path to Dublin with Broderick explaining: “There’s a bit of story to this horse. I was buying a really nice five-year-old off Phillipa Marks and part of the condition of the sale was that I’d sell her a three-year-old. I picked Super Chilled because he was terribly head shy and I knew Phillipa would have the time to spend with him, on the condition that I got first refusal when she was selling him.
“I saw him then last year and she had done a great job with him; lovely and soft with a lovely snaffle mouth and much better about his head. I bought him back and then sold him on to Caledonia Stables.”
Super Chilled again changed hands earlier this year. American-Irishman Kevin Babington, in looking at horses in Ballypatrick Stables, was struck by his resemblance to Carling King.
After viewing the gelding on video qualifying for Dublin he purchased the horse.
Broderick said: “I’m delighted when he’s such a talented horse that he’s going to an Irish rider. Hopefully someday I can see him back here in the internationals with Kevin.”
Coming closest to Broderick’s winning time was Nicholas Butler with Claricella recording a time of 34.28. A recent import, Peig Van Amerongen’s German-bred mare is by Clarimo out of a Con Air-sired dam.
Alexander Butler proved fractions off this time with the Tinaranas Inspector mare Talks Cheap coming home in 34.31.
Stacey Babes was the only other rider to keep a clean sheet on her second outing. Paired with the Argentinus-sired mare Karina, Babes came home in a time of 36.62.
Last to go in the jump-off was Captain Michael Kelly with Bonmahon Master Blue. While logging the exact same time as Alexander Butler, 34.31 seconds, Kelly faulted at the penultimate obstacle to finish in eventual fifth position in the line-up.
Taking the last of the money in sixth place was Damien Griffin and the Luidam-sired Lissyegan Lui Royale as the fastest four faulter in the first round.