NOEL CAWLEY’s Laurina completed an amazing double in Barnadown last Sunday when she added the €46,000 five/six-year-old Irish Breeders’ Classic final title to the Irish National Champion prize she had earned two weeks earlier at the Dublin Horse Show.

The talented five-year-old mare was guided to both victories by the talented Kildare young rider Leah Stack. A total of 30 combinations earned their place in Sunday’s final. Of these, some 16 produced a first-round clear to progress to the timed decider and battle it out for a share in what is the largest prize fund on offer for a young horse class in Europe.

Speaking after the win, Stack said: “We’re absolutely delighted; she just keeps giving. She’s not the biggest horse in the world, but she has a great use of her stride. I did the eight strides to the double and I had to kick on but she opened her stride and got there.

“There was plenty of stiff competition in the jump-off, some from my own stable mates but I had a bit of fire in my belly and really wanted to win. She’s a funny little mare and has her individual traits but when she gets into the ring she lights up.

“The show has been amazing. The grass ring is probably one of the best in Europe. The courses have all been superb. Maurice and the rest of his team have done a fantastic job. It’s been a great show.”

Owner Noel Cawley added: “It was a fantastic performance by the rider on the mare; that’s where the credit is due. It was a wonderful piece of professional riding. You’ve spoken about the characteristics but there is another word that should be added and that’s accuracy.

“One of the most successful riders in the country rang me and said that was the smoothest round of the competition and it was. She got round her corners accurately and got her to the right spot at the right time; the mare isn’t that big so Leah needed to be spot on the whole way around and she was.

“Laurina didn’t have the best year coming into this summer. She wasn’t the easiest; I had her at home for the winter and it was difficult to catch her.

“She got sick then; she had a dirty nose and had to come in and then go out again. The first Dublin qualifier was only her second show and she jumped fantastic. This is only about her fifth show, so it’s an amazing result. I don’t think she has touched a fence all year.”

Great future ahead

Cawley was complimentary of the young rider. “It’s unbelievable really; I didn’t know Leah six months ago, she’s such a talented rider and has a great future ahead of her. If I could get her the right horses then I think we could win an awful lot together.

“I agree with Leah, it has been a fabulous show. All the arenas have been perfect; I looked at the forecast when I woke this morning and I thought there’ll be no show today; but it went off without a hitch and the conditions have been perfect.

“There were 14 double clears in that class and I think nine of them were from the Broderick’s stable, and then they had the winner which is an amazing achievement; no credit to me, all credit to them. We’ll go to Lanaken, but there’s 250 horses in every class so it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack job but we’ll go anyway, it’s nice to be there.

“Her mother (Rincarina) was there as was her grandmother (Diamond Ballerina) so it’s right that she should be there.”

Jump-off

Of the 16 which made it into the jump-off just six produced a second round clear. A further half dozen had a single fence down for four faults, including the pair which had finished as runners-up to Stack in Dublin, Niamh McEvoy and BP Tiny Dancer.

Stack proved fastest to secure the win with Laurina (Stakkato Gold x Cruising) in a time of 35.01. Fellow Ballypatrick Stables duo Kevin Gallagher and Max The Outlaw (Ard VDL Douglas x Lux Z) came closest to catching them in 36.45 for second place. Max The Outlaw was bred by Mary McInerney.

Third went to Vincent Byrne riding Freestone Farm’s Sumas Knockout (Tyson x VDL Arkansas) in 38.82. As his name would suggest, the five-year-old gelding was bred at Suma Stud by Susan Lanigan O’Keeffe and Marily Power.

Brian McConville’s home-bred BWE Special Rose (I’m Special de Muze x Camilo De Haar Z), ridden by Shane O’Reilly, took fourth place in 39.59, while Donal Lynch’s BS Tiesto (Ard VDL Douglas x Highland King) and Jack Geaney were fifth. BS Tiesto was bred by Diana H Warrington.

The sixth and final double clear came from Cooley Farm rider Beth Burton with another five-year-old, Deelside Louie (Luidam x Lux Z) who was bred by Brian Finan.

The top six places were all taken by five-year-olds with the highest placed six-year-old, Grennanstwon Max A Million (KEC Maximum Joe x OBOS Quality) ridden by Brendan Murphy, coming in as the fastest four-faulter in seventh.