Róisín Sheridan

CANADA’s Rebecca McGoldrick won her first senior international Grand Prix in Cavan last Sunday. Riding the eight-year-old Belgian-bred gelding Horatio Van Erpekom, McGoldrick proved best of the 28 starters to secure the top-spot in the €8,000 feature event.

“This was the biggest win of my career so far so I was absolutely delighted. I’m so lucky to have my horse; he wants to do everything you ask of him.

“I’ve had him since he was six years old. My mother’s friend in England had him so we went to have a look and liked him a lot. He’d only done 1.10 and 1.20 metre classes at that stage so we didn’t know how far he could go so are just thrilled that he has come up to this level. I feel so lucky that we found him.

“I’ve been in Banbridge for three and a half years now and totally love training with Dermott and his wife Sandra. They are such genuine, nice and kind people it is fantastic learning there.

“I was born in Canada, but grew up in Hong Kong; that’s where I met Dermott initially. I had stopped riding for a while and only began again when I was in university.

“When I was finished school, I met Dermott again; he said that if I wanted to I could come and base myself in Ireland with them for a while...that was three and a half years ago and I’m still loving being there.

“The great thing about the way Dermott teaches is that he tells you things in a way that lets you work independently; the proof of that, I suppose, is my win on Sunday; Dermott had already left for Toronto so I was there without him to help me and I was still able to apply what he teaches.

“I’m in Toronto now at a four-star show just to watch; Dermott is competing one of my horses and Lou Lou. After that I will head back to Banbridge and we will do a couple more shows before Christmas.

“I plan to go home and spend Christmas with my family and then in the spring we will head to Spain for the tour there,” said McGoldrick.

Some 13 combinations made it through to the timed decider; it would have been 14 but Damien Griffin and Tabby just missed out when collecting a single time fault in round one.

Leading national rider of the show John Floody and Mise Le Meas opened proceedings with a second clear round in a time of 38.85 which would be good enough for eventual sixth place.

McGoldrick was second to go and expertly steered her mount around the eight fence jump-off track breaking the beam in a time of 36.17 to set the pace.

Jordan Coyle and his Mullingar and Eglinton-winning mount VDL Cassius were next and were on track for a decent time; but a miscommunication on the way to the second last fence resulted in a refusal and then a fence down to leave the pair on a score of eight faults in 47.18 and out of the placings.

Ross Mulholland, riding Ahmed Du Calvaire, then produced the third clear round but in a cautious time of 39.14 which would leave them down the line-up in seventh place.

Fifth in was young rider Paddy MacDonagh, partnered by Jackie Lee’s gelding Point Two Elvis. They too collected eight faults to finish out of the prizes.

Edward Doyle and the stallion Chirrocco M produced the sixth clear round in 40.19 which would slot them into eventual eighth place.

Young rider Max O’Reilly Hyland and Dorado bettered all the previous times apart from McGoldrick’s to slot into temporary second place when they stopped the clock in 37.56.

Daryl Walker and Cushions were going well until just after the double where an attempt at a tight right hand turn into the third last fence failed and they finished on eight faults.

There were no such problems for Anna Carway and Ajaccio who gave the sixth double clear of the class in a time of 38.64 for fifth place.

ON TARGET

Catherine Thornton and Derryinver Luxury Cruise have a good record in Cavan having won the Spring Tour Grand Prix there in February and going on to win the following month in Portmore; they once again produced the goods on this occasion and were on target to catch McGoldrick.

They just missed out when crossing the finish in 37.25 just slower than the Canadian for eventual third place.

Grand Prix veteran Francis Connors and Erne Lady Goldilocks would have occupied fifth place with their time of 37.69 if it wasn’t for the four faults they collected at the final fence.

Another young rider that featured strongly in this class was Michael Duffy. He and Susan O’Shea’s Felix XXVIII incurred just four faults at the second part of the double and stopped the clock at 38.67 to slot into 10th place.

Perfectly poised to snatch the top-spot as the last to go, was Eddie Moloney and Douglas Hill. They did their best and came within half a second of catching McGoldrick when they lodged a time of 36.72; but they had to settle for the runner-up spot on this occasion.

Following the Grand Prix, Jenny Rankin was awarded the Benny Kuehnle Perpetual Trophy as the Outstanding Rookie of the Year.

This is the first time this perpetual trophy, which is in memory of the late Benny Kuehnle whose seventh anniversary fell during the show, was awarded.

Other awards included leading international of the show which was won by Jordan Coyle and Leading National Rider John Floody.