Roisin Sheridan

ANNA CARWAY continued her run of good form when winning her first TRM/Horseware Premier Series Grand Prix at the South County Dublin Show in Coilóg Equestrian last Sunday.

“I’m thrilled with the win; it was my first Premier Grand Prix competition so to win it was like a dream. I still can’t believe it!” said Carway, following her victory.

“I’m delighted with my horse (Ajaccio), I’ve had him for about three years now and he’s going really well. My next show with all three of my horses will be at a two-star in Holland, we then plan to do a few shows in Germany in September and hopefully head to Switzerland in October,” she said, outlining her future plans. “I’m hoping to get into college this year and plan to continue riding alongside my studies; I’d love to be able to complete my degree as well as improve my competition results.”

She added: “I went straight from the show in Coilóg up here to Cavan where there are about 20 of us at a training clinic with superb instructors like Jack Doyle, Ian Fearon and Gisella Holstein to name but a few. We have four lessons a day so it’s fantastic.

“I think that clinics like this are really useful, when we all get together it’s a great opportunity to learn from each other as well as the instructors. I wish there was more of them.”

Kilkenny-based Carway is trained by Ellie Moloney of Warrington Equestrian Centre, who was with her young pupil’s win.

“We couldn’t be happier with the win. She is a very talented rider. She has been riding here in Warrington since she was about six years old and she is hard working and committed so I can see no reason why she couldn’t make it as an international rider if she puts her mind to it.

“She did her leaving cert this year, so she was concentrating on her studies earlier in the year, but she still has had some great success”, said Moloney.

Anna’s father Martin was equally delighted with the result: “She’s really enjoying her riding at the moment and gaining great experience. All the older riders on the Irish circuit are supportive and magnanimous, it’s great that a young girl like Anna can be surrounded by people who are prepared to allow her learn so much from them and be so pleased for her when she does well; they are a really great bunch.

“Of course we are indebted to the whole Moloney family. They have been fantastic the whole way through and we will always be glad of their instruction and advice.”

He added: “Anna competed for three weeks at her first three-star show in Switzerland earlier this year, which was a really great experience for her; she got to compete against top riders and she was delighted to finish eighth in the Grand Prix.

“Her win yesterday came out of the blue, she was the youngest rider on the start list and she did so well.”

Carway senior continued: “She is currently in Cavan doing her young rider bursary for a couple of days and then next week we will head to the Netherlands for a two-star show there with the three horses, so hopefully that will go well, but as long as she is enjoying her riding we are very happy.”

A disappointing start list of just 25 combinations lined out for the €10,000 class, which was sponsored by Bagnall, Doyle and MacMahon. Traditionally this is one of the best-supported shows of the summer season, with its date falling just before the Dublin Horse Show in August, but due to changed dates for many shows surrounding the Olympic dates, the show suffered.

high spirits

Despite this, the spirits of show organiser and the powerhouse behind the event Maureen Bagnall were not dampened.

“We just have to make the best of it,” she said, “Dublin moving and the clash with the European Championships in Millstreet this weekend have meant that a lot of the riders that would always have been here couldn’t make it. It’s a pity but we have made the best of it and I think that everyone is enjoying it and that it has gone really well.

“We won’t make as much money for the charity (St Raphael’s Celbridge) this year but I think we have made the best of it and I’m pleased with the two days. Our sponsors, as usual, have been so generous and I can’t thank them enough. Some of them have been with us for many years and we are so grateful for their support,” said Bagnall.

Course builder John Doyle set them a challenging track with a tricky double at fence six and a double as the penultimate fence, which caught out a few. The final fence, a wide oxer that came just four strides after the double, also claimed its share of faulters.

The rules for the class meant that all the clear rounds or 25% of the starters progressed to the timed jump-off. On this occasion the five riders with clear rounds and the fastest four-faulter, Liam O’Meara and Mr Coolcaum, progressed.

The winning duo from the previous day’s National Grand Prix, O’Meara and Mr Coolcaum were pathfinders and they managed to improve on their first round score, returning a clear in a time of 44.78 to set the pace.

Next in was Army Equitation School rider Lt. David Power with the first of his two mounts Dunganstown Boy (Diamant De Semilly x Cruising). They began with four faults at the first fence and things did not improve as they went around the track, finishing on a score of 16 faults to take sisxth place.

Neal Fearon moved up into third to go to allow Power time to warm-up his second horse and the Cavan native looked to be about to snatch the top spot as he approached the final fence. However a pole down cost him dearly and had to settle for fourth place with four faults (45.59).

Anna Carway also moved up and was fourth to go. The talented young rider from Kilkenny proved that her winning ways from the Grand Prix Spring league, and more recently the prestigious Dublin Horse Show, are continuing by delivering a foot-perfect professional round aboard her own Ajaccio (Caretino x Quidam de Revel) to capture the lead in 45.27.

Lt. Power and his second mount, Dollanstown (Ard VDL Douglas x Cavalier Royale), began well but they were caught out by the same fence as Fearon. Faulting at the last fence, the pair stopped the clock in a slower time of 51.43 for fifth place.

Last to go was Banbridge-based Canadian rider Rebecca McGoldrick riding her own Horatio Van Erpekom (Kannan x Udarco Van Overis). They produced an impressive round and had the win well within their grasp; up on time heading to the last they threw it all at the final fence. However, it was not to be on this occasion and the fall of the pole demoted them to the runners-up spot, logging the fastest time of the day (42.72) but with four faults to add.