Tara Dunne

CONNOLLY’S RED MILLS

SEVEN & EIGHT-YEAR-OLD

INTERNATIONAL

MARLON Modolo Zanotelli closed the curtain on the young horse classes at Dublin with a show-stopping performance to triumph in the Connolly’s Red Mills sponsored seven and eight-year-old international final. The Brazilian rider was a long-time leader and secured the majority of the €14,000 purse with the seven-year-old EIS Isaura.

The Irish may have missed out on the top prize this year but the winning combination does have a strong Irish connection being stable rider for Enda Carroll’s Ashford Farm while EIS Isaura is owned by Equi Invest Showjumping Ltd., set up by English-based Irish rider Dave Quigley and Gary Webb.

By Tinkas Boy, Eis Isaura is out of a Darco dam and was produced up to 1.40m level at the beginning of this season by Quigley on the Mediterranean Tour in Olivia before being sent to Ashford Farms in preparation for the World Breeding Championships in Lanaken.

Speaking to The Irish Field Zanotelli said: “The mare is quite green, she started quite late, broken as a six-year-old after having two foals but she has all the scope and is careful. I think there is still a lot of improvement in her. She is a mare for the future for sure.”

Tom Holden’s technical course yielded eight clear rounds from a starting 22 evenly divided between seven and eight-year-olds with Ireland heading into the jump-off with a strong hand when filling five of those slots.

Zanotelli came as the third rider into the ring and a deceptively quick round saw the Brazilian stop the clock at 40.65 seconds having never been in danger of lowering a fence.

Zanotelli relegated Alexander Butler to the runner-up position in the process. Butler had looked to be a strong contender heading into Sunday morning’s final after a decisive win in the second qualifying round on Friday with Dekato.

Butler had set a target of a faultless 41.03 with the seven-year-old gelding. Imported from Holland last season, Dekato has shown great promise making his national Grand Prix debut with a sixth place finish at Galway County.

Robert Whitaker had set the opening target with the For Pleasure-sired seven-year-old stallion Fabrice Van Overis. His time of 41.52 held for eventual third place. Roger Yves Bost proved fractionally slower than this when logging 41.71 with the eight-year-old Clinton-sired Tenor De Lormay, Bost put in a decent attempt but finished just outside the top three.

Thomas O’Brien took the tactical approach with the eight-year-old stallion Hector Van D’Abdijhoeve crossing the line in 41.79 Neal Fearon was the only rider to come within striking distance of the winning time with the seven-year-old Converter-sired Cavalino 26, Fearon recorded a time of 40.82 but with the penultimate vertical minus its top rail for a total of four faults and sixth position in the line-up.