ANNABEL Shields and Creevagh Carisma won their third Spring Tour Grand Prix title of the 2024 season when they headed proceedings at the sixth round of the league in Killossery Lodge Stud last Sunday.

Owned by the rider and bred by the late Ronnie Hollinger, the 14-year-old mare is by Camino de Haar Z out of Creevagh Duca di Clover.

The duo are no strangers to this level of competition, having placed second in a 1.50m in Belgium and first in a 1.40m in France at the end of last year.

A large jump-off field of 17 emerged from the initial 41 starters at the Co Dublin venue. First to go against the clock was junior Eoin Brennan riding his father Tim’s Limestone Briarhill Lui (Kings Cornet x Luidam). They had a single fence down for four faults.

Next in, young rider Max Foley and Michael O’Neill’s Hermes De Cavalier (Hermes De Reve x Cavalier Royale) joined Brennan on a score of four after one on the ground.

Junior Emily Moloney and Temple Alice (Foxglen Cruise Control x Rantis Diamond) provided the first double clear to set the pace in a time of 47.75. James Brennan with Sinead Brennan’s home-bred MHS I’m The One (Lancelot x Cavalier Royale) matched Moloney’s clear and managed to slice almost four seconds off the time in 43.63 for eventual third place.

Derek McConnell and Sorcha Hennessy’s Inlaws Manolo (Corland x Lord Z) also produced a fault-free round, theirs coming in 45.47 for fifth place. Ausra Clarke (Lord Freeman) and Sven Hadley (Topspin) both collected faults; Clarke having one down, while Hadley had two.

Ethan Aherane then rode Dermot Walsh’s eight-year-old LVS Goldrush (Stakkato Gold x Stakkato) into fourth place with a clear round in 44.48.

Drumiller Vegas (Cardento x Rockhill Clover), owned and ridden by Niamh O’Connor Barry, was next to have a go. They put in a super effort and came closest to catching the leader, stopping the clock at 42.73 to claim the runner-up spot.

Ausra Clarke and her second mount, the Dutch-bred Janco V, managed to leave all the fences intact, and broke the finish beams in 47.45, which kept them just inside the line-up in sixth.

The next trio of contenders, Eoin Brennan (Diadema Della Caccia), Jack Murphy (MHS Oklahoma) and Orla Cassidy (Bridgemans Olympic Star) all had one fence down to see them out of the running.

Holly Lenahan riding her own homebred Khalinov (Ustinov x Clover Flush) got things back on track with a double clear round as next to go, unfortunately it came in a cautious time of 50.02, which would leave them out of the placings.

Annabel Shields had the advantage of being the penultimate rider to go, she guided Creevagh Carisma to a foot-perfect round in 42.42, which would secure them the victory.

Last to go, Sven Hadley aboard his own Uidam then decided to retire, leaving Shields to collect the Lion’s share of the €3,000 prize fund.

The next round of the Spring League takes place today, March 16th, in Cavan Equestrian Centre.

Annabel Shields and Creevagh Carisma, winners of the 1.35m Grand Prix at the Killossery leg of the 2024 Spring Tour \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

In Form

Briton Annabel Shields was certainly in form in Killossery on Sunday. Not only capturing the win in the feature 1.35m Grand Prix, she also claimed the top spot in the Whites Agri-sponsored 1.20m two-phase.

Partnering Raw Interiors’ Belgian-bred mare Jessy Van De Heide (Nonstop x Habsburg), Shields recorded a second round time of 30.80 seconds as third last to go to take the victory.

Second place went to Jamie Hargaden aboard his mother Barbara’s Dutch-bred Heron RS (Vigo D’Arsouilles x Germus R). They stopped the clock just 0.07 slower in 30.87.

Shane Dalton and Alexander Hamilton’s eight-year-old Drimoleague (Ricardo Z x Garrendruig Sally) were third in 36.81. Fourth place went to Emily Moloney with Ian Smyth’s Capitol Cruise (Ard VDL Douglas x Cruising) in 36.83.

James Brennan riding MHS I’m The One took fifth, while Jack Brennan and the seven-year-old home-bred mare MHS Drops of Jupiter (Luidam x Cavalier Royale) completed the line-up in sixth.

Balmoral Qualifier

A hotly contested 1m amateur two-phase class on Sunday morning, which also served as a qualifier for the Balmoral Show, saw a large field of 70 line out.

Eventual winners, Aileen McDermott riding Amber Balou (Baloubet du Rouet x Don Juan de la Bouverie), recorded a clear round over both phases in a very fast second round time of 25.72.

Louise Craig and her own eight-year-old Cherry Wine (Stetter x Cruising) were runners-up, they crossed the finish just slightly slower in 25.89. Maretto Flight (Amaretto Darco x Golden River) with Colm Fitzpatrick in the saddle were third, having broken the beam in 26.30, while Danielle Logan riding Demero (Womanizer x Touchdown) took fourth in 26.69.

Egle Zakaraite and Talbot Siss (Metropole x Chippison) slotted into fifth in 27.00. Sixth place went to Little Miss Russel (Russel x Cruising), owned and ridden by Lorraine Younge. Their time of 27.45 was just 1.73 slower than the winner’s.