EQUESTRIAN/Punchestown three-day event: Andrew Hoy, team gold medallist at the last three Olympic Games, established himself at the head of affairs in the Olympic format competition at the Fáilte Ireland/IFG Punchestown three-day event yesterday.
First into the dressage arena yesterday morning, the Australian and his Irish-bred Moonfleet earned a mark of 42.8 penalties that totally foxed the opposition and only New Zealand's Blyth Tait and Eze came anywhere close.
Sue Magnier, whose filly All Too Beautiful followed Ouija Board home in yesterday's Vodafone Oaks at Epsom, bought Moonfleet as an expensive three-year-old at the Derby Sales in Tattersalls a decade ago. But the Strong Gale gelding failed to shine on the point-to-point field and, after falling on his second outing with Enda Bolger, was switched to eventing.
His early tuition came at the hands of Coolmore's financial administrator Jerome Casey but, after a meeting with Andrew Hoy five years ago, there was another jockey change and the horse moved to Hoy's base at Gatcombe in Gloucestershire.
He has had a chequered career since, winning at Luhmuhlen in Germany two years ago, but then falling at the fifth fence at the world equestrian games in Spain later that summer.
A stop at Badminton last spring was followed by an extended period off the road when the horse was so lame that Hoy was convinced it had broken a bone in its foot.
Hoy has three horses qualified for Athens and still hasn't decided which he'll use in the bid for Australia's fourth consecutive team gold, but a win for Moonfleet at Punchestown could clinch the trip for the Irish-bred.
The wholly Irish partnership of Niall Griffin and Lorgaine are best of the home side after a rock-solid test left them in ninth, but show jumping's current golden boy Cian O'Connor collected yet another accolade yesterday when recording his fifth successive victory with ABC Landliebe.
After notching up a hat-trick in Rome last weekend, O'Connor and the mare were back in the winner's enclosure at the Swiss fixture in Lucerne on Thursday and then claimed yesterday's Speed Derby for good measure.
Fáilte Ireland/IFG Punchestown three-day event (placings after dressage), CIC three-star (Olympic format) - 1, Australia's Moonfleet (Andrew Hoy), 42.8 penalties; 2, New Zealand's Eze (Blyth Tait), 45.0; 3, Italy's Buehler (Susanna Bordone). Best Irish placing - 9, Lorgaine (Niall Griffin), 57.2.
Two-star - 1, Switzerland's Macintyre (Christian Landolt), 42.0 penalties; 2, Britain's River Rose (Peter Laidlaw), 43.0; 3, Ireland's Kilmessan (Lieut Geoff Curran), 46.4; 4, Britain's Autumn Market (Robert Stevens), 47.2; 5, Britain's Ballyneety Duca (Nicholas Collins), 47.8; 6, Ireland's Nees Reven (Steven Smith), 49.8.
Young riders - 1, Ireland's Ground Control (Deirdre Reilly), 49.2 penalties; 2, Britain's Parsley II (Chloe Newton), 51.6; 3, Australia's Penrose Corroboree (Emma Priest), 51.8; 4, Ireland's Bayfield (Louise Bloomer), 53.00; 5, Ireland's Sky Sport (Ciara Donnelly), 55.8; 6, Ireland's Tipperary (Dairine Kennedy), 57.2.
