A DREAM day for an owner, that is exactly what Wicklow native Martin Egan had last Sunday.

He was able to watch Castlefield Vegas, a horse he bought as a three-year-old at the Goresbridge horse sales for just €2,200 win the CI3* Grand Prix worth $137,000 in Wellington, Florida.

“We were watching it on the phone in the lorry on the way back from Barnadown. It was absolutely fantastic. That’s what it’s all about really for an owner; watching your horse excel at the top-level in an amazing venue,” Egan told The Irish Field.

Martin has been around horses his whole life. He hails from Bray, Co Wicklow, where he runs BHF Sport Horses, an operation with 25 boxes on about 13 acres. “I buy about 10 three-year-olds a year; maybe three or four from Goresbridge and other Elite sales and some from private yards.

“I break and produce them here. Clare Fisher works with me and we normally take them hunting with the Bray Harriers. We work very closely with Ger O’Neill and Jason Foley from Castlefield and would constantly be bringing horses back and forth to them for schooling etc.”

That partnership began in 2013 and has gone from strength to strength with some special horses passing through the pair’s hands. “It all began in 2013 when Ger came to try a four-year-old I had. I broke my leg the following day and rang him and said you may hang onto that horse because he’ll be doing nothing up here. That horse was BHF Castlefield (OBOS Quality - Furisto) and he was the first one that Ger and I owned together, and he ended up being sold to the States.

“In 2014, we bought a seven-year-old Belgian-bred gelding Hyakari from Carl Hanley. During that summer Ger rode him up to National Grand Prix level, taking the runner-up spot in The Meadows before he was sold to Richard Bourns. Andrew Bourns then went on to compete him up to five-star Grand Prix level in New York and Florida.

“Our next venture together was the Dutch stallion Castlefield Wizard. We bought him in Germany as a six-year-old and Ger rode him up to 1.35m level before he was sold to Skara Glen Stables in America where Irish rider Paul O’Shea rode him up to 1.50m.

“Api Des Champs is a French-bred gelding by Kannan I bought in 2017. Jason Higgins from Wexford competed him for me and brought him up to National Grand Prix level before he was sold to Italian junior rider Matteo Rogiani. They have enjoyed many wins together and are currently the National Junior Champions.”

Hitting the jackpot

“I bought Castlefield Vegas as a three-year-old in Goresbridge and broke and produced him myself. He is by Cassino out of a mare named Clarkes Quiet Optimistic. His dam is by Lux Z and his dam’s sire is by Clover Hill. He was bred in Co Cavan by John Clarke,” Egan said of the 11-year-old gelding who won the WEF Grand Prix last Sunday.

“He has always been a bit sharp and a little bit quirky; I took him hunting once and we lasted about 20 minutes before I decided this wasn’t for him, the biggest difficulty that day was trying to get him home!

“He is very intelligent, very careful and learns fast. I brought him to Barnadown for a school one day and began to realise just how good he was. I brought him up and down to Ger’s to school him and one day when he was six, we gave him a jump and Ger said ‘I think you may leave him here now’.

“We knew he was talented, but he was a big horse and needed his six-year-old year to grow into himself. Ger worked him and his body got stronger. He didn’t do a massive amount as a six-year-old, we took our time with him and now I think that that was the best thing we ever did.

“By the time he was seven, he was a different horse. By the spring he was competing at 1.35m and in the summer he won the Irish Studbook seven-year-old final. By the following year he was competing at 1.50m and we brought him to the Sunshine Tour in Spain for six weeks.

“He was brilliant in Spain and won and placed in several classes. He caught the eye of plenty of people including that of the Irish team selectors.”

What followed was the beginning of the stuff of dreams for the owner. “Jason Foley was riding for Ger and he had promised that if he could, he would give him the best horse he had for the European Championships so he partnered Jason with Castlefield Vegas.

“Chef d’equipe of the juniors James Kernan showed great faith in Jason and the horse when they were selected for Fontainebleau that year and it paid off; they produced four clear rounds, and won the Individual gold medal.

“Jason had just turned 16, and Vegas is 17hh so he looked a bit like a child on him, but he gave him a superb ride and showed everyone what we already knew; that he is an enormously talented individual. I always say he has an old head on young shoulders.

“The following year Vegas was nine and Ger took him to Sentower in Belgium where he once again impressed the selectors and they earned a place on the Nations Cup teams in Drammen, Norway and Uggerhaine in Denmark.

“Once again Vegas stepped up to the plate and the team of Ger, Jenny Rankin, Aidan Killeen and Susan Fitzpatrick won back-to-back Nations Cups. After that we went to Bolesworth where he took fourth in the Grand Prix. Next was Hickstead where he was runner-up in the Grand Prix followed by a three-star in Lier where he won the two-phase.

More success

“At the start of 2020 we went to the World Cup shows in Basel and Leipzig where he jumped really well. Then it was on to Vejer de la Frontera in Spain. It was at this point that Ger decided to give the ride over to Jason. Ger has family commitments and a business with 40 horses at home so it was not possible for him to be away for such extended periods of time.

“Jason and Vegas had a great show in Spain with several top-10 finishes and a 1.45m win. During the summer of 2020 we went to a two-star in Kronenberg, and back at home won the New Heights Premier Grand Prix in Barnadown.

“On the strength of these good performances, Jason and Vegas were selected for the team at the Nations Cup show in Drammen. Shane Breen, Eoin McMahon, Jason and Michael G. Duffy all put in fantastic performances, once again Vegas jumped a double clear and they won the Cup for the second year running.

“Shane Breen was a fantastic help on that trip giving Jason great advice. Riley Carron, Jason’s girlfriend, was also brilliant. It was a high pressure situation and we were thrilled with how it all went.

“At the end of the year we did the Irish Showjumping Masters in Emerald and finished in fourth place. That was a great night, really well organised and it was great to see it on the TV.

“We got chatting to Bertram one evening and he mentioned that he was looking for a five-star horse to add to his team. Vegas fit the bill and so he bought half of him. It’s exciting to see him competing in WEF and I’m looking forward to seeing him in the Global Champions Tour this season.

“I’m also looking forward to watching my two five-year-olds, Castlefield Hero (Celtic Hero - OBOS Quality) and Castlefield Disco (Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet - Stormhill Miller), progressing. Clare Fisher will compete with them both this year.”