BRITAIN’s Gemma Stevens brought four horses to last week’s Millstreet International Horse Trials for the short format classes and came away with two wins, a second, and a third place finish to her credit.

Stevens, whose previous start at the Duggan family’s Co Cork venue came under her maiden name Tattersall, led throughout the Connolly’s Red Mills CCI4*-S on Jalapeno III with whom, in the same class, she had finished 23rd of 56 back in 2019.

On this occasion, 37 combinations came before the ground jury of Britain’s Angela Tucker (C), Germany’s Wiebke Henning (M) and Ireland’s Marie Hennessy (E) for Friday’s dressage phase at the end of which Stevens was lying first and second on Jalapeno III (26.6) and Flash Cooley (29.1) with fellow British competitor Harry Meade next best on Tenareze (30.7) and Superstition (32.1).

Making her Millstreet debut, Britain’s Phoebe Locke was lying fifth at this stage on Bellagio Declyange (32.3) ahead of Australia’s Kevin McNab, who won this class last year on Scuderia 1918 A Best Friend, riding Miss Pepperpot (32.6). The best of the Irish in seventh was England-based Aoife Clark on Sportsfield Freelance (32.8).

Time penalties, as well as poles down on Saturday morning, saw the show jumping phase have its effect on the standings with Superstition and Sportsfield Freelance dropping out of the top half-dozen.

Moving up to fill fifth and six spots having gone clear were Australia’s Bill Levett on Sligo Candy Cane (33.6), who was then withdrawn, and Ireland’s Cathal Daniels with Rioghan Rua (33.7).

Cross-country

Co Kilkenny-based US rider Gillian Beale King was pathfinder on the Mike Etherington-Smith-designed cross-country course early that afternoon on Richard Ames’s 11-year-old Rebeliant and, although two seconds over the time, recorded the first of 31 clear jumping rounds. Unfortunately, Beale King was later eliminated following a fall from Chance Encounter as was Ireland’s Tara Dixon who parted company with Master Smart.

Stevens picked up four time penalties with Jalapeno III but still maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard on 30.6. Britain’s Kirsty Chabert recorded a double clear inside the time but lost out on her bid for an Irish hat trick at this level with the 13-year-old Calvaro Z mare Classic VI, finishing second on 34.2.

Stevens picked up third place prize-money with Pru Dawes’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Flash Cooley, a 10-year-old CSF Mr Kroon grey whose total of 35.5 included four show jumping penalties and 2.4 for time on the final leg, while Beale King moved up from 20th after dressage to finish fourth on Rebeliant (37.5). She also finished sixth with Ames’s home-bred RCA Royal Summer (39.1), her mounts being split by the Locke-ridden Bellagio Declyange (37.9).

Co Down’s Joseph Murphy finished best of the home brigade in eighth with the Count Down Crew Syndicate’s Dutch Warmblood gelding The Quizmaster (40), just ahead of Daniels on Mags Kinsella’s home-bred 15-year-old Jack Of Diamonds mare Rioghan Rua (40.1) who are competing in the CCI5*-L at Burghley this weekend.

Double on the card

In the 24-runner Noel C. Duggan Engineering CCI2*-S, where the cross-country phase had little effect on the result, Stevens led throughout on Chilli King whose total of 28.8 included 0.4 of a show jumping time penalty. She also moved up to second following a double clear on Chilli Wednesday (30.5) who had been lying third following the dressage phase judged by Ireland’s James Rooney (C), Joan Ahern (H) and Joanne Jarden (B).

Co Limerick’s Rodney O’Donnell improved from seventh to third when completing on his first phase score with his eight-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding Dartans Hillcrest (32.3) while a pole down show jumping and a small amount of time penalties on both jumping phases resulted in Australia’s Kevin McNab dropping from second to fourth with Pepper Poldark (34.5).

Over the moon

“I was over the moon with my results, it was an absolutely brilliant weekend,” said Stevens. “When I was here before a few years ago it was very wet but I’d been hearing such good reports about the ground, all true as it turned out, that I decided I had to come over again.

“The going was so well prepared that it was phenomenal while the courses were educational and confidence-building. The arenas were really well-prepared and when we walked the tracks we were delighted with the ground and thought the dressing of the fences was stunning. Also, there were a couple of good pulls on the four-star track which was exactly what my horses needed to test their fitness. Jalapeno (Chris Stone’s 14-year-old mare by Chilli Morning) is heading to Blenheim next.

“I was delighted with Chilli King and Chilli Wednesday (both geldings by Chilli Morning) who are two lovely seven-year-olds who both jumped double clear. They haven’t run much this year because of the ground at home – that’s no one’s fault, it just hasn’t rained – so I thought when the lorry was going over, I may as well put them on it. It was pretty much a last minute decision.

“Neither of these is being aimed at Le Lion. Chilli King is a very big horse who is taking time to mature but I know he will make a five-star horse one day – he has all the attributes you’d want to get to the top. Chilli Wednesday is for sale. He spent some time with Karin Donkers but the owners want to scale back. He too is very talented and is a straightforward ride.

“None of my owners travelled to Millstreet so were delighted that they could follow the action on the live streaming and Clip My Horse.”