Tara Dunne

FRANK Curran took the first victory of the Gain/Alltech Autumn Grand Prix league. Riding the aptly named Hawkswings, Curran flew home to claim the €3,000 league opener at Ravensdale Lodge, sponsored by BeepBeep.ie.

Curran said afterwards: “I’ve had Hawkswings since the beginning of the year and he is just getting better every time out. This is only his fourth 1.40m and he jumped super today.”

Owned by Susan Stewart, Hawkswings is by Heartbreaker out of the Laughton’s Flight-sired dam Crewe Lass. The eight-year-old gelding shares his dam with Curran’s Premier Series mount New World.

Produced up the grades by Clem McMahon, Hawkswings is a former winner of the Dublin Horse Show six-year-old championship. Curran took up the reins early this season and the pair have shown consistent form at 1.35m level in the Leinster and Ulster region summer tours before making the move up to 1.40m

Early lead

Having taken an early lead in the Autumn Grand Prix league, Curran confirmed his interest in following the remaining nine legs while his plans for the future include aiming Hawkswings at next year’s Premier Series.

Ray Buchanan designed the course for the starting 24, which included a number of horses making the step up to Grand Prix level with considerable success.

Young rider Anna Carway debuted the seven-year-old Clarimo-sired Claricella with only a single mistake at the end of the course while Rebecca Kenny also faulted at the same fence with the eight-year-old Dancing Matilda. Both came home well outside the time allowed when incurring two time penalties

Gareth Clingan also moved up Wendy Hamilton’s Courage II-sired Courageous Imp, who had a clean sheet marred only by the first part of the combination.

In the end, Buchanan’s challenge yielded seven combinations on a zero score, with two riders erring on the side of caution to finish with a single time penalty.

Young rider Susan Fitzpatrick was the faster of the two, paired with Cavalino and took the final place in the line-up in eighth position pushing out Robert Frazer and Sonas Magnum.

Paddy O’Donnell was the first of the seven to take on the shortened and raised course with Minority Report. O’Donnell put down a marker for the remaining riders when stopping the clock at 38.58 seconds with nothing to add.

A former eventer, the 12-year-old gelding Minority Report changed careers this season and has been active in the Munster Grand Prix league as well as already making the move up to Premier Series level.

Sven Hadley had a solid attempt at the time with Quanbell, recording 40.38 with a zero score. Ravensdale Lodge has proven to be a successful venue for the Co Galway rider, with Hadley also featuring at the last show back in May when taking third in the Grand Prix.

Dermott Lennon looked set to challenge aboard Clinton Jack but eased off the throttle when lowering the second part of the double early in the course. Lennon added to this score when also faulting at the final fence to conclude on a score of eight faults in a time of 41.07.

Lennon has been paired with the nine-year-old Clinton-sired gelding from 2014 and this season has notched up a number of international results including a victory at the CSI*** fixture at Millstreet and a runner-up position at the two-star show in Balmoral.

Curran was next to take it on and set a new standard for following riders to chase. Taking every risk, Curran managed to find a slightly shorter route home when posting a time of 38.03

John Floody

John Floody’s economical use of the arena aboard Mise Le Meas saw him come within striking distance of the new standard. Tidy turns meant a deceptively fast time from the eight-year-old Cruise On-sired gelding but Floody proved just off the mark when the clock stopped at 38.15, although this time would hold for eventual second place in the line-up.

Kenneth Graham aimed for a steady clear round with the Limmerick-sired Orbiting which he duly delivered, completing in 41.92. Last to go was Floody, the only rider to make the clocked round double handed. Taking it on this time with the Hermes de Reve-sired Bronson de Reve, Floody was determined to better his first attempt and set off at a ferocious pace. In a repeat of Lennon’s round, Floody faulted at the double slowed his pace and also had the final horse first planks.

The league now moves to the Meadows EC this Saturday before heading to the Cavan Indoor Championships the following week.