THE Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials proved a happy hunting ground for Irish breeders last weekend, when Irish Sport Horses claimed the two top spots in both the CCI4*-L and the CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-old horses. It was also a memorable event for Tom McEwen, as incredibly, he piloted three of these four and won both classes.

McEwen’s winner in the long format competition was the Thomas Hanrahan-bred The Fieldmaster (Future Trend x Sunny Boy), whose speedy cross-country round was the second fastest of the day. His runner-up Brookfield Quality (OBOS Quality x Cavalier Royale, breeder: Sean Kelly) had the advantage of a better dressage score, but was slightly slower over the solid obstacles. Both horses left a pole on the floor on the final day and, while separated by only 0.1 of a penalty, finished almost four marks ahead of the rest of the 77-strong field.