Eventing: Glenpatrick

THE two senior EI110 classes at the wonderful but poorly-supported Glenpatrick last Saturday were dominated by Steven Smith and Joseph Murphy who recorded a win and a second-place finish apiece. The latter did so from his two rides but, with extra strings to his bow, Smith also finished third in both classes.

The Gilford rider led the EI110 following the Lucinda Webb-Graham-judged dressage phase on MMF Churchill (24 penalties), just ahead of Murphy on My Foxhall Kit (24.5) with Conor Savage lying third on Elpaso Rising Storm (26.5). Show jumping for all classes took place on all-weather surfaces and in this eight-runner contest, the Aaron McCusker-designed track had a marked effect on the scores.

While Elpaso Rising Storm went right out of contention with an additional 24.4 penalties, MMF Churchill lowered two fences and so dropped behind My Foxhall Kit who had just the one down.

Heading into the final phase, this pair was divided by the Edgar Boggs-ridden Camiro de Clover (28.8) and the Smith-partnered Irish Sport Horse gelding Lisbane Top Gear (31.5), both of whom had left all the poles intact.

Across the country, Lisbane Top Gear proved fastest of the quartet and, while failing to beat the clock by a second, his total score of 31.9 was enough to secure victory on just his fifth EI start while his slightly slower stable-companion, MMF Churchill, finished third on 33.2.

With 3.6 cross-country time penalties, My Foxhall Kit filled the runner-up slot on 32.1. Just one horse, making their debut at this level, had a problem in jumping over the Adam Stevenson-designed cross-country track.

Lisbane Top Gear only started eventing this season following an earlier career as a show jumper when he amassed over 60 points. The nine-year-old Pacino gelding was bred in Co Armagh by Peter Rice out of Shannondale Fusion, a Cavalier Royale full-sister to HHS Cashmere (CSI5*).

“It was a great event with very well presented courses,” commented Smith. “The effort put in by the Megahey family was much appreciated while moving all the show jumping to the all-weather worked very well.”

Murphy started his day on a winning note in the six-strong EI110 (Open) where, riding the Count Down Crew Syndicate’s The Quizmaster, he added two cross-country time penalties to his excellent winning dressage score of 17.5.

This was a fourth Eventing Ireland start for the Dutch Warmblood gelding who, most recently, had finished second in an EI120 at Tyrella (3) having previously won an EI115 (Open) at Lisgarvan House. Here, Smith was a second over the time on the final leg with another KWPN-registered gelding, Lavori (20.9), while he completed on his dressage score with the thoroughbred gelding Handsome Starr (25).

The Quizmaster, a 13-year-old son of the German thoroughbred Albaran, is due to start in the EI120 today at Castle Irvine, Necarne where My Foxhill Kit contests the Horse Sport Ireland EI110 for six-year-olds.

Deserves support

Murphy expressed his disappointment for Saturday’s hosts, Britt and Anne Megahey, that the event had such a low entry of just 90. “They do a beautiful job here so they really do deserve better support,” said the Killyleagh-based international. “I don’t know whether it’s the date – coming after Ballindenisk and Badminton and the clash with Balmoral Show – or it’s really coming down to the price of diesel and people being unwilling to travel.

“It’s all to do with planning really and the dates committee are going to have to look at things a lot more closely. Take next weekend (today and tomorrow) for example. There are only four Advanced classes in Ireland and two of them are on next weekend at Necarne and Ballindenisk. Perhaps there are too many events. Those of us with higher graded horses, want to and have to travel to the big events, which should have priority on the calendar, while those competing at a lower level will always stay local.”

Murphy went to daughter Daisy’s school sports day on Friday and so missed seeing his American working pupil, Kylie Cahoon, finish sixth in the five-year-old final of the Gibson Equine Haylege ‘Balmoral Star of the Future’ performance horse championship at Balmoral on Ryan Hopper’s Dstud Flirtation.