THE Irish Field/Gain Equine Nutrition ‘Star of the Year’ for 2022, Niamh McEvoy (19), once again showed her undoubted talent on Sunday when winning the 1.40m Gain/Alltech National Grand Prix at Cavan with Haifa OL, owned by her father Richard McEvoy.

Based with Greg Broderick at Ballypatrick Stables in Co Tipperary, McEvoy proved best in the eight-horse jump-off to claim the lion’s share of the €4,000 on offer. The KWPN mare, bred by Old Lodge Stud, has been in McEvoy’s string since October 2020.

Speaking after the win, McEvoy told The Irish Field: “We’re completely delighted with the win. I brought her (Haifa OL) to Spain back in February and we had a good two months there. When we came home I gave her a bit of a break and she had a quiet couple of weeks. We did Balmoral with her last week and then Cavan. We plan to do Mullingar with her next.

“She is a really good competitive mare so it will be good to follow a few of the National Grand Prix classes and hopefully in Mullingar she can do some of the bigger classes.

“She is very brave and has plenty of scope so we’ll move her up to the Premier Series and see how she gets on. She isn’t the biggest mare in the world but she has a really big heart and always tries her best.

“We took two embryos from her last year and they are due in September so that is very exciting. Both are by Greg’s young stallions, Rock ‘N Roll (Diamant x Darco) and Jericho (Emerald x Babouchka De Hus).

“She is from a really good line herself (Nabab De Reve x Damiro) and has a few very talented relatives so we thought it would be a good idea to breed from her. I can’t wait to see how they turn out. Hopefully we’ll get another one or two from her this year.”

On the class, McEvoy added: “I thought the first round was strong enough. She is naturally quick and she is so careful you can just trust her to a fence. She was quick back to the third oxer, and then good back to the double, I’d say she left a stride out there.

“I didn’t get to see Coen [Williams] go but I’d heard he was quite quick. She was fast to the second last as well, so with all of that we managed to get ahead.”

Strong field

A strong field of 45 combinations lined out for the sixth round of the National Grand Prix League. Stuart Clarke set them a challenging track which saw just eight produce a first round clear to progress to the jump-off.

Eleven had just one fence down for four faults, while two had a fence down plus added one for time. Seven had two fences on the ground, the remaining 15 collected nine faults or more, with six deciding to retire on course.

Edward Doyle Jnr was pathfinder in the jump-off aboard his father Edward’s home-bred Quick Bill (Flex A Bill x Quick Star). They once again left all the fences intact, stopping the clock at 45.48 for eventual fourth place.

Edward Little, riding Heather Crawford’s 10-year-old gelding HSC Sunny Jim (Pacino x Conquistador), bred by Sarah Heather Crawford, was second into the arena. They had two fences down in a time of 46.65 which kept them just inside the money in sixth.

Young rider Rhys Williams and the German-bred Cowboy Balou then chose to retire on course when things did not go to plan.

His brother Coen and the French-bred stallion Elsandro Du Bois, owned by Williams Sport Horses Ltd, were more fortunate, leaving all the fences up in 43.39 which would deliver them third place in the final line-up.

British international rider Sam El Dahan and Joanne Sloan Allen’s Belgian-bred nine-year-old gelding Oscar A had two down for eight faults.

McEvoy was sixth to go. A confident clear saw them snatch the lead in a fast time of 40.29 which would prove enough to secure them the victory. Derek McConnell and Sorcha Hennessy’s ever consistent eight-year-old Inlaws Manolo (Corland x Lord Z), bred by Tomas Hester, then produced a second clear round in 47.62 for fifth.

Last to go, Aimee Barry and her father Joe’s mare Garryndruig Limoncello (Amaretto Darco x Cruising) made a decent attempt, leaving the fences intact but were slightly slower in a time 41.69 to claim the runner-up spot.

The next and seventh round of the National Grand Prix League takes place today (Saturday) at Castle Irvine, Necarne, with the eighth round in Wexford tomorrow.