CLARTON Clazou Z and Seamus Hayes won their first Gain/Alltech National Grand Prix of 2022 at Maryville last Sunday.

Hayes said afterwards: “I’m delighted to win the Gain/Alltech Grand Prix here in Maryville. Clarton Clazou Z is a 10-year-old gelding by Clarissimo Z out of Dazou G, by Clinton. I’ve had him since he was seven years old and he’s always been a little bit difficult, a little bit tricky. He has a lot of nervous energy but he’ll jump any fence you put in front of him.

“He’s very brave and honest. There were five clear in round one and I was last to go. I was lucky because I could see how things were going and I worked it out myself; where I could turn, where I could maybe leave out a stride whatever.

“I saw Robert (Splaine) go and he did seven to the last so I took pretty much the same line and said, I’m going to do it in six and it came off. We got him on the continent; we spent a year out there and we saw him and bought him.

“We let him out and then brought him on nice and handy. The breeding is good, his father jumped up until he was seven years of age and then had to be retired due to injury but he has produced some nice horses which have done well. He is one of the last foals out of his dam.

“I’ve tried to follow the Gain/Alltech Grand Prix classes with him this year. He has also jumped in two Premier Grand Prix. I thought he was going to do well today. When I walked in I saw that the ground was really good; plenty of watering had been done and it was firm, but not too firm.

“There was a great kick off the ground and as he went through the first round he was getting more confident with each jump. The conditions here are fantastic. I had a young horse in the 1.20m and I felt her grow in confidence too because the ground was so good. She jumpred even better than she does at home so I’m delighted with that.

“The plan now is to go to Tattersalls and then Mullingar for the National and Premier clases and then we will see after that.”

Some 24 combinations started over the Tom Holden-designed 1.40m track. Of these, just five made it into the jump-off.

Tiger Balou (Balou du Rouet x Cardento) and Wesley Ryan were pathfinders in the timed decider. An unlucky fault at the final fence saw them break the beams in a time of 42.41 which left them in eventual fourth place.

Second in, James O’Sullivan’s Lux Trendy (Future Trend x Lux Z), ridden by Liam O’Meara, also earned four faults theirs coming at the second part of the double, but in a faster time of 37 seconds which put them into third place.

The final fence once again proved to be the downfall of third to go, Jamie Landers and David Hedley’s Dutch-bred eight-year-old Jargon DN (Zirocco Blue VDL x Indoctro), they stopped the clock at 42.60 for fifth place.

Cork’s Robert Splaine was next to take it on aboard TLK Equine Ventures LLC Mike Kovanda’s Cambridge (Cloney x Stakkato). They provided the first double-clear round of the class in 38.13 which promoted them to the top of the class.

This was not a place they enjoyed for too long however, as next to go was Hayes and Clarton Clazou Z. They managed to shave almost a second off the leading time in 37.19 to secure the victory. The next round of the Gain/Alltech Grand Prix league takes place today (Saturday) at Tattersalls July Show, Co Meath.