SHOW JUMPING

Emer Bermingham

It has certainly been a great year for Ballypatrick Stables. They topped off their national season when Darragh Ryan partnered Greg Broderick’s Irish Sport Horse, Ballypatrick Flamenco, to win the five and six-year-old final of the 2016 Irish Breeders Classic, at Barnadown last Saturday.

The team at Ballypatrick have an impressive record at the championship and this was their third time in five years to have led the victory lap in this competitive final.

A six-year-old mare by Je T'aime Flamenco (BWP) and out of the Cruising-sired dam Cruise Leaf, (ISH) (TIF) she was bred by Dr Noel Cawley and Lisa Cawley in Co Kildare.

The Cawley’s are also no strangers to breeding success having produced horses that have gone on to represent the Irish Studbook across the world in both show jumping and eventing. Among their prolific winners are Golden Exchange, Rincarina, Castellar, Cortaflex Touchable and Winter Cruise, to name but a few.

Ryan and Ballypatrick Flamenco have had a good season with a series of top placings in the ISH Studbook series. Earlier this month, they were named as part of the team that will represent the Irish Studbook in Lanken at the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses, which will take place from 15-18 September.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

As expected with a prize fund of €39,400 up for grabs, the competition went down to the wire in the final with 28 riders battling it out. Twenty combinations maintained clean sheets in the first round, but with the pressure on, just five of these delivered double clears. In the jump-off, combinations faced a strong track and to be in with a chance of the title they needed to take a tight turn back to the oxer at three, and then a tight line to the double at five.

Winner of the four-year-old championship in Dublin with Abby V Overis Z, Darragh Ryan once again never faulted under the pressure. Last to go, Ryan wasted no time throughout the course and a series of tight lines matched with a strong gallop home with Ballypatrick Flamenco saw him clock the winning time of 39.63 seconds to land the second biggest win of his national career.

Mervyn Clarke followed closely behind with his own Thomascourt Senna in 41.77 for the runner-up spot. Francis Connors’ experience showed as he delivered a clear with Mary Ann Papp and Wrenwood Stables' BP Castlefield in 44.05 for third. Like Ryan, Connors and the six-year-old gelding will form part of the squad for Lanaken.

FOOT PERFECT

Nicola FitzGibbon didn’t put a foot wrong with Lady Georgina Forbes’ Castleforbes Angelina and they delivered the first double clear of the time round in 44.23, which would later see her take eventual fourth.

It was a good outing for this pairing as they occupied the same spot in Thursday’s qualifier. Last of the double clears, Jack O'Donohue, who was riding for Marion Hughes, clocked 46.26 with HHS Burnchurch for fifth place. Mikey Pender proved that the time could be beaten with Curra Clover Flight when he clocked 38.51, but it came at a price as he faulted at the last oxer, which saw him slot into sixth place.

Winner of the five and six-year-old Irish Breeders Classic Consolation was Waterford native Gemma Phelan. Riding Quality Villane, she was fastest of the double clears in 38.30. Kelly Taggart was back in the ribbons, this time taking the runner-up spot with LCC katenko when clear in 38.30, ahead of Shane Dalton and Castlelawn Captain Junior in 38.66.

In fourth place was Thomas O'Brien and Miss Darco, clear in 39.14, ahead of Raphael Jnr Lee and Captain Marko in 39.36. Wicklow rider Thomas Foley took sixth place when he partnered Kingsborough Verdiva to a clear in 39.55.