Tara Dunne

ALEXANDER Butler had ample time in the spotlight last weekend, winning two of the feature classes at the Cavan Indoor Championships.

The eventual Grand Prix winner, Butler had the first of his victories in Saturday night’s €6,500 Six and Seven-Year-Old Hankook Cavan Classic, triumphing over three rounds with James Egan’s seven-year-old Eldorado.

Forty-one combinations started over Klaus Holle’s course and it quickly became apparent that the standard of horse in the class was exceptionally high, with 22 returning to the second round.

A further 14 kept a clean sheet on their second outing to make it through to the timed decider.

GOOD COURSE

Butler commented: “It was good course building, there were no major difficulties but it got a result.

“The first round had several 1.40m verticals and it went up each time so it was 1.50m by the final round.

“I thought the standard was great there were some new horses I haven’t seen yet and they looked very good and jumped the final round very easily.”

Butler was the penultimate rider in the jump-off and put in a superb effort to stop the clock at 38.25 seconds, over two seconds clear of then-leader Sophie Dalm.

Sourced in Holland by Butler and Neal Fearon, the KWPN gelding Eldorado is by Zapatero VDL and out of a Kojak dam, and has been produced in Ireland for the last 18 months.

Speaking to The Irish Field Butler said: “We bought three horses at the time for various owners.

“The other two have been sold on, they’re both in America, but he was the greener of the three and has just taken more time to bring on.

“He has been produced slowly and it was in my mind to aim him for this class, I think a lot of him he’s a lovely horse, one for the future.”

Dalm had set the time to beat at 40.36 with Jack Van Het Dennehof but her time at the top proved short-lived with Butler as the next rider in the ring.

Dalm’s seven-year-old Toulon gelding has been produced at her Co Down Ro’s Lane Stables since he was five and he has gained some valuable experience on the international circuit this season after a tour in Holland.

JUMP OFF

Shane Goggins secured third position on the night with another Dutch import, this time the seven-year-old Canturano-sired mare Erequita M. Coming at the mid-way point in the jump-off that yielded only six clear rounds, Goggins took a provisional lead at that point with his time of 42.67.

Simon Scott had set the original time to beat at 43.02 aboard Ploverfield Lilyana and finished as the highest-placed six-year-old in the class. Ian Millar’s mare is by Eurocommerce Pittsburg out of the Last News dam Ploverfield Last News.

Sophie Richards, as the final rider in the clocked round, aimed for caution over speed and delivered a textbook round with Killossery Kuidam in a time of 44.38. By Luidam, the six-year-old is another son of Killossery Kruisette and is a half-brother to Ger O’Neill’s Lanaken gold medal winner Killossery Kaiden.

Stacey Babes had delivered the first triple clear with Very Chic Du Tillard. Impressive over the three rounds, the seven-year-old Diamant De Semilly gelding recorded a time of 45.31.