THE big guns were all in action at Ballindenisk last Sunday, where they not only contested one of the country’s limited advanced classes, but also the full range of supporting sectors.

With major championships looming, Sarah Ennis, Cathal Daniels, Joseph Murphy and Sam Watson were all involved in the business end of proceedings, and it was Ennis who eventually landed the feature with the exciting youngster Lady Action M.

Among the others to make an impact was Ian Cassells, who claimed both of the EI 115 divisions, leaving Sam Watson to dominate in the EI 110 (O).

All were appreciative of the good ground that Peter Fell had provided, which as he explained, had proved labour intensive to achieve. “It took a bit of managing and between the watering and the aggrovating, I spent a day and a half on the tractor. There is no short cut though - you just have to do it,” he said.

Riders were also grateful for the bottles of water available in the start and finish areas, and while the weather was undoubtedly hot, there was a welcome breeze throughout.

EI 120 class

Fast and accurate jumping proved to be the winning formula in the E120, and delivering on both counts, the top spot fell to Sarah Ennis riding Lady Action M. Although the pair were only midway after the opening dressage phase, they were always within reach of the leaders, and delivering one the of just three double-clear rounds, they drew ahead of the Cathal Daniels-piloted Shannondale Mari, as well as third-placed Brian Morrison (Global Mentor). This was the second win at the level for the Plot Blue-sired eight-year-old mare, who bred by Suzanne Macken, is now owned by Andrew Cox.

“It was great that Andy was here to see her,” stated Ennis. “She’s an incredible mare, so exciting and a machine across the country.” A trip to Haras du Pins in France is next on the agenda, followed by a tilt at the young horse CCI4* class at Blenheim in September, and hopefully Boekelo near the end of the season.

While the class was reasonably well supported, Peter Fell was a little disappointed that some riders who had requested its staging did not eventually commit. The outcome of this was that some of the multiple riders entered were confined to just two horses apiece, and while this obviously reduced the numbers, it was rightly deemed necessary to enable the class of 10 to run as smoothly as possible.

That said, the sector was full of incident which began when dominant first phase leaders Joseph Murphy and The Quizmaster walked home from the country. The German-bred 13-year-old took a strong dislike to the barrel corner early out on track, leaving the door wide open for the remainder. The show jumping also yielded an influence, and with just half of the field leaving the coloured poles intact, the remaining positions juggled accordingly.