EQUESTRIAN SPORTS:IRELAND'S SUCCESSFUL run in the featured HSBC FEI World Cup qualifier was brought to a halt at Tattersalls international horse trials yesterday by Britain's Oliver Townend who only returned to competitive action the previous weekend following a fall in Kentucky last month.
Riding Ashdale Cruise Master, the 11-year-old chestnut gelding which left him with multiple injuries and sidelined for over four weeks, Townend led the competition from the dressage phase and added just 4.8 penalties for time on Saturday’s cross-country course.
Yesterday, Townend picked up two time penalties show jumping for a completion score of 51.6, with Ireland’s Michael Ryan the only one to show jump clear, finishing third on 63.4 with Ballylynch Adventure.
Splitting the pair was Britain’s Mary King riding Apache Sauce.
Ashdale Cruise Master was bred in Borris, Co Carlow, by Michael Doyle and is by Cruising out of the Master Imp mare Sly’s Girl.
William Fox-Pitt led all the way to land the one-star section on Catherine Witt’s Bay My Hero, a seven-year-old Cult Hero gelding bred in Wexford by Bryan Maguire. The two-star class was won by New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson on Quimbo who benefited when overnight leader, Ireland’s Sam Watson, had one show jump down with Hoyo.
Co Tipperary’s Fred Scala withdrew his overnight leader CTS Peppermill Pot from the Eventing Ireland CCI** for riders until 25 but still managed to claim the spoils with the Master Imp nine-year-old Hedonist.
