BRITAIN’s Kirsty Chabert may well make more raids on Irish internationals this year as she followed up a first victory at Ballindenisk last September with another at Millstreet last week.

This latest win came in the Connolly’s Red Mills CCI4*-S where Chabert and Classic VI led after the dressage phase when the ground jury of Britain’s Anne-Marie Taylor (C ) and Ireland’s John Lyttle (H) and Joanne Jarden (B) had them on a score of 30.8 penalties.

They dropped back to second with a pole down show jumping, while they were also a second over the time in the large sand arena. However, home without any additional penalties on the final phase, they were left in front when the leaders, Ireland’s Stephanie Stammshroer and Master Swatch, who were on 34.5, took a heavy fall at the first of the Bit-Media double of corners at fence eight.

Thankfully, while understandably “gutted”, Co Meath’s Stammschroer was uninjured in the incident as was her mother Paula’s 13-year-old Watermill Swatch gelding.

Ireland’s Cathal Daniels could well have won as he set out on the final phase with Shannondale Mari but Sarah Hughes’s nine-year-old Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan mare glanced off the second element of fence eight, triggered the collapsible device at the first element of the Horse Sport Ireland Shamrock Water (20abc) and, with 17.2 cross-country time penalties, dropped from overnight third to 16th (83.6).

Compensation

However, Curragh-based Daniels did have the compensation of finishing second on Jo Breheny’s 12-year-old home-bred Limmerick mare LEB Lias Jewel (44.9) and third with Mags Kinsella’s 15-year-old home-bred Jack Of Diamonds mare Rioghan Rua (45.4). Co Meath’s Sarah Ennis recorded her best-placed finish from six rides at the fixture when fourth here on Andrew Cox’s eight-year-old Plot Blue mare, Action Lady M (45.9).

“Although Classic loves cross-country, we had a bit of a blip at the open corners at Badminton (where they retired) so we decided to come here for some good ground and a bit of atmosphere and I’m delighted with this win,” said Chabert whose string of Team Opposition horses is based at the Landford Common Stud in the New Forest which was established by her father John and her late mother Debbie.

“Classic (a 13-year-old daughter of Calvaro Z) was bred by Peter Charles out of a mare who jumped up to Grand Prix level. Through embryo transfer, she herself has bred a beautiful yearling filly by one of our own stallions, Fleetwater Opposition. She will now have a refreshing week of hacking and being put on the water treadmill before we head off to the CCI5*-L at Luhmühlen (June 16th to 19th).”