There was a brilliant finish to the three-day showjumping bonanza at Claremorris Equitation Centre yesterday (Sunday).  On Friday and Saturday horses jumped to qualify for Finals held yesterday in three jump-height cagtegories - namely 1.10 metre, 1.20 metre and 1.30 metre - and thirty horses qualified per competition. 

The winner of the 1.10 class, Adonis Van De Zandput, while being ridden by Meath-man Gerard Clarke still held much local interest as he is owned by Paddy Sweeney of Ballina.  Fourteen horses jumped first-round clears and Adonis was third last to have his tilt at winning the most prize money.  Gerard Clarke scorched round Tommie Gibbons's track to stop the clock in 33.10 seconds and win the class sponsored by Claremorris Saddlery and Equitation Centre. Second place, in a time of 33.87 seconds, went to local-man Shane Goggins riding Jeff Hockley's Pagent Prince (33.87 secs) and third was Elizabeth Hodgins's Waiting for William ridden by Thomas O'Brien from Athenry.

The Claremorris Equitation Club was sponsor of the 1.20 Final and here Shane Goggins and Pagent Prince made owner Jeff Hockley's day by emerging top of the pack in a time of 31.71 seconds.  They were hotly pursued by Shane Quinn from Killala riding his father Donnacha's Emerald Inovative (31.81) into second place and by Sven Hadley from Galway riding Billy Twomey's Adelgonde Z who came third in 33.37.

Ten horses reached the jump-off in the Claremorris Equitation Club's 1.30 metre Final.  Seven of these jumped clear again and it was a case of which rider found the fastest route through the course to the finish.  Fourth to go was KMR Special Edition, owned by Rafael Murray from Tuam and ridden by Cormac Rafferty, who cork-screwed speedily around the course and triumphantly stopped the clock at 32.49. Thomas O'Brien, who jumped just before Cormac on Voila, had an excellent and fast round to finish second in 33.34 while Gerard Clarke who was eighth to go came third on Ardagh Stein in 33.88.

The second leg of the Kingsland/SJI Grand Prix League of 2010 was the last class of the day and the E3,000 prizemoney here was kindly sponsored by Castlebar's Bernie McKenna and Claremorris Saddlery and Equestrian Centre.  Twenty-nine horses jumped and of those just seven had faultless first rounds.  The first two horses jumped clear but spectators had to wait a further ten rounds before another clear was produced.  In the jump-off which made for nail-biting stuff.  Gerard Clarke and his own Kellswater Crimson, first to go in the jump-off, had the rest of the competitors thinking when he completed his round clear in 38.71 seconds.  Four horses later he bettered his own time on Linzi Johnston's Colorado with 36.89.  However it was Ballina-man Alex Duffy riding Susan O'Shea's Courtown who scored the winning time of 35.43 for and an understandably popular win. 

Gerard Clarke came second and third, Conall McLoughlin from Carrick-on-Shannon was fourth and fifth on his father David's Vendredi and Shannondale Sonic respectively and sixth was Padraic Judge from Castlebar riding his own and his wife Nuala's Hello Spider.

MCGUINNESS WINS GAIN HORSE FEEDS CONNAUGHT GRAND PRIX FINAL

On August 1st the Final of the Connaught Grand Prix League was held at Duffy’s Equestrian Centre in Claregalway. The main sponsors were Olympic Saddlery, Gain Horse Feeds and Tiernan Gill’s Brooklands Bedding. This final leg was called the Peter Pan Grand Prix and the prizemoney of E3000 was generously sponsored by Justin Burke, of the Galway Bay Stud, who stands the stallion Peter Pan.

The most exciting aspect of the competition was the dual between Gabriel Slattery of Irishtown, who headed the leaderboard with 32 points on John Byrne’s Captain’s Magic Touch, and John McGuiness of Mohill with Pam Donaghy’s Talent on 25 points.  The balance could be tipped either way - and with the highest-pointed contenders drawn at the end of the class it was going to be rather a long wait for the final outcome.  The atmosphere was that of a carnival.  Children were having their faces painted and leaping in the bouncy castle, there was smoke and delicious, appetising smells coming from the barbecue and the sun shone.

Connaught Showjumping

 

For the second week running Ballindine’s young rider sensation Eric Glynn stole the headlines by winning the Claregalway McDonald’s Drive Thru Grand Prix on Sunday in superb style.

Glynn was riding Retiro Van W – which he jumped to sixth in a National Grand Prix event in Limerick last week - on Sunday and having secured a place with 18 others in the jump off from a starting field of 56, he set about a clear round determined to shave as much as possible off the clock in the process.

The circuit was challenging at the Duffy’s Equestrian Centre venue and breaking 40 seconds was always going to be a huge obstacle. Glynn got closest with a clear round in 40.80 that set a daunting target for all comers.

Sligo’s Richard Kerins certainly wasn’t fazed and jumped brilliantly to secure his highest finish of the season so far on Steinburg with a well-earned second place in 42.48. He also came home sixth in the event on Verdi in 52.36.

The battle for the overall title remains in the balance. Third place Olive Clarke didn’t compete this weekend while both Carl Hanley and Ballinasloe’s Damien Griffin had fences down in the jump off on their leading horses in the overall horse/rider combination standings, although Griffin’s time was enough to gain two points after finishing in ninth place.

Griffin and Lissy Egan Clover Diamond are now just eight points back from Hanley and Kalipso du Marais but both riders will look at Sunday’s event as a missed opportunity.

Oranmore’s Clarke is 12 points behind in third and jumping superbly well on the national scene after a fine third place finish in Saturday’s National Grand Prix event in county Meath. She is still in the running ahead of the Crossmolina show next Saturday and the final two rounds in Claremorris later this month.