CATHERINE Thornton produced an impressive one-two in Cavan last Saturday, winning the 1.35m Spring Tour aboard Coachella, and taking the runner-up spot with Derryinver Truffle.

This was Thornton’s first show back in 2024, and her first competition to be reunited with Derryinver Truffle since 2018.

She spoke to The Irish Field following her victory: “Everyone needs a day like that every now and then. They are brother and sister, which makes it even better (both are out of Icing by Cruising and were bred by Tom and the late Linda Magee).

“Coachella has been successful throughout her career really. She was in Lanaken as a five-year-old and placed consistently in the older age classes. She moved up to 1.40m last year, so hopefully she is ready to go on to the bigger stuff this season.

“You don’t really know with horses what they are capable of until you ask them. She doesn’t struggle at all at 1.40m, and now she’s at the age where she will step up to 1.50m level.

“She is definitely brave enough. She’s very careful, that may be the only thing that could prevent her from going on further, it’s a big jump up to 1.50m for any horse.

“She will always try to jump the fence, but sometimes I think she would prefer it to be on her terms; she’s a bit quirky. She’s a typical mare. She’s not at all affectionate. She likes to eat and do her job; that’s it. I know her very well having had her since she was three, so that’s an advantage.

“Derryinver Truffle is very different to her, he’s a real gentleman. He was easy right from the off. He could do his changes from when he was backed, he had the softest mouth.

Catherine Thornton and Coachella, winners of the 1.35m class at the Cavan leg of the TRM Showjumpers Club Spring Tour \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

“For a big horse, he is much more like Luxury Cruise (David Campbell’s stallion by Lux Z out of the Cruising mare, Icing, who Thornton rode to win the four-year-old Championship at the Dublin Horse Show in 2009) to ride.

“He’s a very gentle horse to do everything with. He has massive scope. I rode him when he was a six-year-old and he had huge potential. That was my first show with him since 2018. I haven’t had him for six years, so it’s about getting to know him again.

Accident

“I had an accident in 2018. I was backing a youngster and it bucked me off. I landed on my feet, ruptured my ACL, broke my knee and tore all the cartilage; basically, I couldn’t have done any more damage.

“We had hoped I could recover quicker than I did.

"It took eight or nine months before I could even ride again.

"I lost all my rides apart from Coachella, and that was because I own part of her. Five of the horses I lost the ride of that year have gone on to jump 1.50m or above, so that’s pretty hard.

“I have a lot of horses in at the moment; the two for the Grand Prix, a six-year-old, two five-year-olds and the rest are four-year-olds, so it’s busy.

“The plan now is to do some 1.40m with both of them and then work our way up to 1.50m and do the Premier Series. To have two horses jumping at Grand Prix level is so much better. I discussed this with David (Campbell) before he sent the horse up to me. If you drive all the way to the show with one for the Grand Prix and you have a fence down, that’s it. At least if you have a second horse, you can have another go at it.”

Some 49 combinations lined out for the seventh round of the Spring Tour. Of these, just 10 managed to return a first round clear and progress to the jump-off.

Robert Splaine and his own and Story Horse Farm’s eight-year-old Coolcorron Lachlan (Goodluck VDL x Dicksgrove Colleen) were pathfinders. They had one fence down to see them out of the running.

Thornton was next in aboard Coachella (Ustinov x Cruising) they set the time to beat with a clear round in 42.01.

Junior Brid Ryan riding the 10-year-old Belgian-bred mare Ne Touche Pas Van De Rostal then collected four faults after one down in 42.56 to keep them just inside the placings in sixth.

Young rider Maisie Adams and the eight-year-old Belgian mare Quina DW provided the second double clear, which left them in fourth place.

Junior Camryn Clarke and his mother’s Conto de Reve (Hermes de Reve x Conto), bred by Noleen Kieran, added their names to the four-faulters.

The next two in, riding their second mounts, Catherine Thornton and Derryinver Truffle (Tornesch x Cruising) and Robert Splaine with his seven-year-old home-bred stallion Coolcorron Lone Ranger (Tyson x Jokers Bell C) both produced a second clear, Thornton’s in 42.18 for second place, Splaine’s in 42.98 for third.

The remaining three riders, all aboard eight-year-olds: Hayley Dunne (Con La Calma), Gerard Clarke (Castleforbes Gillian) and Annabel Shields (Lapstan) failed to leave all the fences intact.

Dunne had two down, while Shields and Clarke had just one on the ground, Clarke’s coming in the fastest time of the day in 41.95 for eventual fifth place.

The next two rounds of the spring league will take place tomorrow in Maryville and Kernans.

1.30m two-phase

Zara Finlay and the eight-year-old Castlebridge Logan (Tolan R x Thunder Van De Zuuthoeve) bred by Sean Kavanagh, won the 1.30m two-phase on Saturday morning. The duo saw off stiff competition from 29 starters to secure the win in a time of 31.76.

Second place went to Junior Ben Cassidy and Kathleen O’Riordan’s Gembo (Ustinov x Aldatus Z) bred by Marcus O’Donnell in 32.62.

Harper Du Seigneur (Aganix Du Seigneur x Chippison), ridden by Sven Hadley, finished in third place in 32.76, while Hallie Crowe and the seven-year-old Riverstown Flamenco Cruise (Je T’Aime Flamenco x Cruising) took fourth in 33.61.

Mervyn Clarke and the seven-year-old Thomascourt Legaland Louis (Luidam x Clinton) were fifth, and Brid Ryan riding the six-year-old GCS Jasmine (Cardento x Plot Blue) finished sixth.