HARRY Marshall’s eight-year-old mare Tango ET was ridden to the top spot by Clem McMahon in Sunday’s feature in Cavan, the 1.45m SJI/Cavan Autumn Grand Prix worth €6,000.

By Cornet Obolensky, she is out of Juicy by Laughton’s Flight and has been partnered by McMahon since the end of August.

Speaking after the win, McMahon told The Irish Field; “Harry bred her, he jumped her mother, who is by Laughtons Flight. She came to me about two months ago and we’ve done a couple of shows.

“I think an awful lot of her. I think she could be a mare that could jump at the top level. She’s very, very careful and she has loads of scope. I think she is definitely one for the future.

“She is a quality blood mare, just what you need. She has lots of stride, I did one less from one to two and then one less to the last and that’s where we were a bit quicker yesterday.

“She is still green, that would have been the first time I’ve asked her to go against the clock, so I was very pleased with the way she handled it. She was very easy.

“We are finished now for the year. We’ll take a break and then head to Oliva (Valencia, Spain) in the spring for February and March.

“We’ll take her with us and I’ll bring probably six more, as well as a few of my students’ horses, so it will be about 10 in total,” he continued.

“I have a couple of seven- coming eight-year-olds that will do some of the ranking classes towards the end of the tour. I have Alistair McIvor’s Mr Basil (Plot Blue x Hermes De Reve) and Greg Broderick’s French-bred mare Grand Prix DK (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Vialotta D’Ick), whose granddam was Pialotta, who placed fourth in the World Championships.

“I also have a couple of very good six-year-olds, so the future’s looking bright.”

Clean sheet

A total of 41 combinations lined out for the class. Just seven managed to keep a clean sheet over the 1.45m track.

First to go in the decider was young rider Rhys Williams aboard Greg Broderick’s Belgian-bred Baloys PS (Baloubet De Rouet x Centadel). A single fence down would see them finish just outside the money in seventh place.

Next in, Lt James Whyte and The Minister for Defence’s Hawthorn Hill (Cardento x Limmerick), bred by Jerry Quinn, posted the first double clear in a time of 38.08 for eventual third place.

Third to have a go was recent winner in Portmore and Mullingar, Jonathan Smyth, riding Noletta Smyth and Roy Craig’s Mulvin Lights Out (Kroongraaf x Diamond Serpent); they stopped the clock at 36.77, which would be good enough for the runner-up spot.

Robyn Moran and Vera Griffin’s Cushla’s Fryday (Hector Van D’Abdijhoeve x Apache D’Adriers), bred by John Peter Finlay, managed to leave all the fences intact, breaking the finish beams in 38.13 for fourth place.

Edward Doyle and the home-bred Quick Bill (Flex A Bill x Quick Star) posted a clear round, theirs coming in 40.98 for fifth, while Niamh McEvoy and David Cullen’s stallion SHS SoCo Blue (Zirocco Blue x Clearway) had a fence down in 42.15 to finish in sixth as the fastest four-faulters.

McMahon was last to go aboard Tango E.T.. They produced a superb clear, crossing the finish in 35.53 to take the victory and the final Grand Prix title of 2023.