DUFFY’S Equestrian Centre Grand Prix Show was held over the weekend with a very lucrative prize fund, and some very well-known international show jumpers sponsoring the classes.
The 13th leg of the Showjumping Ireland Summer Series was held at the venue last Saturday with some very competitive classes ranging from 90cm to 1.30m. The Happy Lobster Ballinderreen 90cm was won in style by Aisling Tonery aboard her own Ti Amo Darcy, with Conor James Teeling and his own Dometine T.S. hot on her heels to take second place and third place going to Jacinta Walsh and her own Mermus Surprise.
The spoils of the Eoin McMahon-sponsored 1m class were claimed by local man Colm Kelly with his own Sparkling Diamond who took the lead early in the class and could not be caught, though second place Maedbh Hincks aboard her own Little Miss Captain Junior gave it a good try, with Nicola Burke and her own Baronscourt Dancing Boy taking third place.
The excitement continued into the Brian Cassidy-sponsored 1.10m with young rider Stephen Gibbons continuing his winning form with Jane Gibbons’ Ballynagran Captains Mate ahead of second place Victoria Foster with Gabriel Mullins’ Zambia and junior rider Lily P Slattery and Gabriel Slattery Snr’s Captain Candy Man taking third place.
The day finished with back-to-back wins for Mark Duffy aboard Kate Duffy’s A Star Is Born in the Trevor Breen of Breen Sport Horses-sponsored 1.20m and the Michael G. Duffy-sponsored 1.30m. Second and third place in the Breen Sport Horses 1.20m were claimed by Stephen Gibbons with Jane Gibbons’ Clooncalagy Beauty and Lisa Fylan’s Tubbertelly Bella.
In the 1.30m, second and third placings were taken by Aoife McCabe with Kevin McCabe’s Heritage Enigma and Kenneth Feeney aboard his own Dermish Pacino.
Day two of the Grand Prix weekend began with a very hot 1.20m class kindly sponsored by Breen Equestrian (Shane Breen) which was won by Sean Gormally with his own CHF Miss Setter ahead of young rider Nadine Carey and Deirdre Murnane’s Sacre Bleu in second place, and Aoife McCabe with her own Red Bull Quality Z in third.
The second class of the day was the Michael Duffy-sponsored 1.30m Speed class, from which there were only 6 clear rounds; fastest of these was Shane Goggins aboard Martin O’Dea’s Jinarite followed by young rider Nadine Carey and Deirdre Murnane’s Sacre Bleu with another second place to add to their honour roll, and Kenneth Feeney aboard his own Dermish Pacino picking up another third place.
Grand Prix winner
Next up was the main event; The €5,000 Kilcolgan Castle 1.40m Grand Prix from which there were some beautiful rounds of jumping.
Course designer Paul Duffy Jnr asked the questions with his Grand Prix course, and Jake Hunter was the man who answered, taking the win with Cathal McMunn and Jonathan Reape’s Incredible. Cora Sharkey finished in second and third place aboard Jackie Lee’s Hollypark Galloway and Joseph Sharkey’s Lisboy Emerald.
The last class of the weekend was a very competitive 1.10m, kindly sponsored by Helena Stormans of HS Sportspferde. The victory was claimed by another local rider Nicola Burke with her own Baronscourt Dancing Boy, just ahead of Tadhg McKiernan and Little Ms Dignified owned by Aisling McKiernan, and Maeve Duffy and Wendy Condon’s Top Aviator taking third place to round off a very exciting two days of jumping.
Duffy’s Equestrian Centre would like to thank all sponsors, competitors and spectators for a brilliant weekend of show jumping.