Róisín Sheridan
THIS week saw a further boost for Irish-bred show jumpers when Alexander Butler and Hallowberry Cruz won the Horseware/TRM Premier Grand Prix league at the Tattersalls July Show, run in conjunction with Rolestown Show and the Ward Union Hunt.
On Thursday morning, his owner Caroline Byrne was officially notified that the traditionally-bred Cruising stallion had been fully approved by Horse Sport Ireland.
“We were just told this morning and we couldn’t be happier. It’s been a long road but now we are here I’m delighted,” Byrne told The Irish Field. “We don’t do this professionally, we are just passionate about Irish-bred horses, so this approval is a dream come true. He [Hallowberry Cruz] is home-bred out of my own amateur mare and the fact that he is now competing at this level, and his talent is being recognised, is just fantastic, not just for us but for Irish-bred show jumpers.”
She continued: “When he jumped so well in his first Nations Cup in Sopot this year I was approached by Germans and Norwegians wanting to know all about him; where he had come from and his breeding.
“I hope that now he has proved himself on an Irish team he will be considered for more international trips, and now that he has full approval he can fly the flag for Irish-bred show jumpers here and abroad. Alongside the exposure that MHS Going Global has provided the Irish-bred show jumper recently, I hope that Hallowberry Cruz’s approval will be seen as a positive move for the industry.”
Butler and the grey produced a textbook clear round at Tattersalls, jumping clear round in 41.93 seconds to finish well ahead of his closest rival and secure the win in the class sponsored by Friends of Rolestown Show.
“I’m very pleased with the results. The footing was perfect in spite of the weather. I think the more the horses jumped on it the more confident they became. I jumped in the five-year-olds in the morning and it was a little bit sticky, but by Grand Prix began it was perfect.”
“I think the course builder (Tom Holden) was shocked at just how good it was and that maybe affected the course he built,” he added.
“A dozen was a lot to make it into the second round from an original field of 27. I’m delighted with how Hallowberry Cruise jumped and my goal with him now is to try and get one of the three places on offer for the international classes in Dublin.”
“We’ve had a really good run with good results from the start of the year in Vilamoura and then Denmark and Poland. He jumped clear for the team in his first Nations Cup in Sopot so I’m hoping to be considered for the team in Gijon later on this year,” he added.
Neal Fearon and Niall Talbot’s Billy On Time were pathfinders in the 12-strong second round. A mistake at the second last fence saw them finish with four faults in a time of 45.84
Butler was second in and provided a fault-free round with tight economical turns, including an impressive left-hand turn into the vertical at fence three and a fluid ongoing gallop to the final two oxers. This resulted in them recording a time of 41.93 and setting the bar for the remaining 10 combinations.
Mervyn Clarke and Aramis 573 were on target during the first half of their round, but a risky gallop to the final fence failed to pay-off on this occasion and it cost them four faults in 42.44.
Francis Connors and Erne Ladygoldilocks had a cautious round, but an error at the penultimate fence saw them finish with four faults in quite a slow 45.56.
The 2015 winner of this class, the Army Equitation School’s Ringwood Glen, partnered last year by by Captain Michael Kelly and this year ridden by Captain Geoff Curran, began well and looked like a real threat to Butler. However the clock told a different story, putting the Army pair into second place in 43.82.
Captain Curran, who was inadvertently referred to as Captain Kearns in last week’s issue, had earlier taken the top spot in Tuesday’s TRM/Horseware National Grand Prix class, sponsored by the Ward Union Hunt, with another Irish Sport Horse, Shannondale Rahona.
Reversing places with Butler, riding Vimminka in the National Grand Prix, Captain Curran fulfilled the mission of the Army Equitation School to promote Irish-bred horses in show jumping. For more on this, turn to page A58.
Francis Connors and his second mount, Theoreme Du Desir, left all the fences intact in 44.58, which slotted them into third place, while Mervyn Clark Jnr rode Aramis 573 into fourth place with one pole down in a time of 42.44.
Jordan Coyle, with Colour Blue, and Butler on his second mount, Monastery Stud More Pleasure, both faulted at the second last oxer, with Coyle taking fifth place (43.45) and Butler taking sixth (44.33), and recorded times just outside the 44-second mark to earn top six places.