EQUESTRIAN:AN EXTENDED weekend of international equestrian action starts this morning with the first of two days of dressage at the Tattersalls international horse trials.
In this Olympic year, the Co Meath event has taken on added significance and the two top-rated classes have attracted many riders vying for team places at Greenwich Park in late July.
Among the overseas challengers are the multiple medal-winning New Zealand veteran Mark Todd, Australia’s Matt Ryan and a very strong contingent of British competitors led by William Fox-Pitt.
The Dorset-based rider has three horses entered at Tattersalls and, with Bay My Hero in The Irish Field CCI***, is on a hat trick having partnered the Irish-bred gelding to victory here over the past two seasons at one- and two-star level.
One of the leading event riders in the world, Fox-Pitt won all three senior CCI competitions last year.
The feature class has attracted entries from Irish Olympic hopefuls Mark Kyle, Captain Geoff Curran and Susan Shortt.
Although not on the high performance squad, in-form local rider Sarah Ennis will continue her bid for selection with the mare Sugar Brown Babe.
Other Olympic contenders have targeted the short format class, the George Mernagh memorial CIC***. Irish riders here include Michael Ryan, Camilla Speirs, Elizabeth Power, Aoife Clark and Joseph Murphy.
Mark Kyle has entered the grey gelding Coolio whose Scottish owner, Ronnie Bartlett, is also a big supporter of Irish National Hunt racing and point-to-pointing. Regular Tattersalls visitors, Oliver Townend, Polly Stockton and Ruth Edge, lead the British raid.
The cross-country phase of the CIC*** is scheduled for Sunday afternoon but most of the action over the fixed fences takes place on Saturday starting at 8.30am with the Dunboyne Castle Hotel Spa national two-star pony class and running non-stop throughout the day. Show jumping for all competitions takes place on Sunday.
Throughout the weekend, there will be plenty of attractions at the country fair in the festival village to occupy the attention of those family members less interested in horses. The novelty dog shows and Tattersalls will stage a vintage car and tractor exhibition.
In Co Westmeath, the Mullingar Country Fayre and international horse festival commences tomorrow and runs until Bank Holiday Monday.
Centred around show jumping competitions for four-year-olds through to Grand Prix horses, the festival also features ridden hunter classes, a new foal class, Western riding and RDS hunt chase and Puissance qualifiers.
Show director Robert Fagan was pleased to announce that entries are up again for the nine international classes, the highlight being Monday’s €20,000 Grand Prix.
Mullingar is the opening leg of the inaugural Great Britain and Ireland show jumping tour which also encompasses the Royal Highland outside Edinburgh (June 21st to 24th), the British Masters at Southview (June 29th to July 1st) and Co Cork’s Millstreet international (August 7th to 12th).
