Tara Dunne
LIAM O’Meara re-established his position at the top of the leaderboard of the HSI/Connolly’s Red Mills Spring Tour triumphing in the 12th round at Mullingar EC last Saturday.
In a hard-fought contest, just fractions of a second separated the top three riders with O’Meara coming out on top with Curraghgraigue Jack Take Flight.
By Jacomar, Curraghgraigue Jack Take Flight is out of an Errigal Flight dam. Bred by Baden Pole, the gelding was purchased as a three-year-old by Martin O’Meara and has been a dependable performer for the O’Meara family through the age classes.
A former winner of the prestigious Millstreet Five-Year-Old Championship, Curraghgraigue Jack Take Flight showed great promise last season as a finalist for the international Seven and Eight-Year-Old Championship at the Dublin Horse Show, having qualified with a victory at Barnadown and won the opening class in Dublin.
Speaking to The Irish Field after his win, O’Meara said: “I’m back on top again and I will trying to hold on to the league. I think John [Floody] would have to win next week without me placing at all in order to win. They are good odds, but you never know what can happen.”
The reigning Spring Tour champion, O’Meara has defended his title emphatically throughout opening the tour, with a victory in JAG Equestrian Centre and five runner-up finishes to date. Jumping at the end of the 10-way decider, O’Meara was clearly determined to move up to pole position on Saturday and made every second count with the eight-year-old to record an unbeatable time of 39.09 seconds.
O’Meara said: “There was absolutely nothing in it, it was very tight. The plan was to go as quick as I could but at the same time not take any unnecessary risks. My horse is naturally fast, he’s always going.”
Some 60 competitors lined out over the Seamus Casey-designed course, with only 10 managing to keep a clean sheet in the first round.
The course demanded stamina as well as concentration from horses and riders, with O’Meara commenting: “It was a very long track, there were 14 fences with a double of oxers; a water jump and the combination. I think the combination caught a lot of horses it was the final fence and horses were getting tired. There were a lot of people clear up until that point.”
Alexander Butler, fresh from a successful tour in Portugal and Spain, was the first to take on the shortened and raised course. Partnering the 14-year-old Nabab de Reve-sired Vimminka, Butler set the bar high for the remaining riders when logging a fault free round in a time of 39.44.
His lead held for only two combinations, Jenni Lamminen aboard Lowhill Glenard Lad and Grace McHugh with Alonso N.
Lamminen was the first of these and aimed for a steady clear with the 10-year-old Carrick Diamond Lad gelding. She achieved the clear round but incurred one time penalty when the clock recorded 54.85.
Young rider Grace McHugh had the same goal in mind on the 11-year-old Dutch-bred Alonso N but managed to better this time, stopping the clock at 50.77 for eventual seventh place.
James Hogg ensured time was once again a factor when setting a new benchmark with the Interpreter. Hogg, already with a win to his name in the Spring Tour with the 11-year-old Cruising gelding, used his speed credentials to maximum effect by going clear in 39.14.
Jessica Burke supplied the next faultless performance with CC Captain Cruise in a time of 44.19.
The 10-year-old stallion is by Captain Clover out of a Cruising dam. Sean Kavanagh was just off this pace with the seven-year-old Boherdeal Clover mare Dungar Clover Breeze, crossing the line in 45.54.
Young rider Christopher Connell remained consistent with BVS Echo Island. Connell has put points on the board with the eight-year-old Clover Echo mare featuring in the rounds in JAG and Ballinamona. The final rider in the clocked round, Connell made a solid effort at the time but couldn’t quite make it home inside the 40-second mark, re cording 40.21.