Irish eyes are smiling

There was a fairytale ending to the HSBC FEI World Cup(tm) Eventing at Tattersalls (IRL) when husband-and-wife team Patricia (Fernhill Clover Mist) and Michael Ryan (Old Road) finished first and second, thrilling the large and patriotic crowd and keeping victory at Ireland's showpiece event at home for the second year.

The final Jumping phase lived up to its billing as being one of the biggest and most exciting tracks and, as the leading British riders cracked under the pressure of a closely-packed leaderboard, the Ryans began their meteoric rises, Patricia from 4th to 1st and Michael from 7th to 2nd.

Mary King (GBR), emphatically back in action after a spring season decimated by a virus, shot into second place in the HSBC FEI World Cup(tm) Eventing standings, her three horses Imperial Cavalier, Fernhill Urco and her home-bred Kings Temptress finishing 3rd, 6th and 11th.

Oliver Townend (GBR), the HSBC FEI Classics(tm) leader, looked set to add Tattersalls to his Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials victory three weeks previously, but his ride, the 12-year-old Jackson d'Allez was coming back after a year off, and having given his all the previous day to lead the Cross-Country, hit a disastrous 8 fences and dropped to 24th.

– 56 starters

– 7 nations represented: Ireland, Australia, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden

– 1st prize was EUR11,000

– 8 riders scored in the 40s in Dressage

– Highest mark 42.7; lowest mark 75

– 3 withdrawals before Cross-Country

– 39 riders completed the Cross-Country

– 33 clear rounds

– No one achieved the optimum time of 6min 30sec

– Only 6 riders had under 10 time penalties – Paul Donovan on Sportsfield Sandyman was fastest with 2.8 and went up 30 places after Dressage, eventually finishing 27th

– There were faults at 8 out of the 24 fences

– Fence 8ab proved the most influential with 7 riders faulting there

– 7 riders eliminated Cross-Country (4 horse falls, 2 rider falls, 1 x 3 refusals)

– 7 retirements Cross-Country

– 39 horses completed the competition

– 5 clear Jumping rounds (2 with time penalties)

Dressage leader

Polly Stockton (GBR), riding the 10-year-old Irish-owned and bred Westwood Poser, by Master Imp, led the Dressage on 42.7 from Mary King (GBR) on two out of three of her rides, the handsome Irish-bred Imperial Cavalier (44.0) and new ride Fernhill Urco (45.2) on only their second competition together.

Cross-Country

Hugh Lochore (GBR), the US-based Course-Designer, had set an enticing test, which he described as a “balance of technical and attacking”, reminiscent of Ireland's hunting tradition and with big bold fences set naturally in the hedge lines. Indeed, the Irish riders rose to the fore, with 5 of them in the top 10 after Cross-Country. Mary King commented: “I thought it was refreshingly old-fashioned with natural fences – it felt like proper cross-country.”

The timing was adjusted accordingly and all riders who had already jumped the fence had 4sec (1.6 penalties) taken off their times.

Jumping test

Tattersalls' Jumping course has a reputation for being a serious track, and the Ryans were the only riders in the top 10 to jump clear, an achievement they attributed to trainer Michael Quirk (IRL), who is working with team manager Ginny Elliot (GBR) and Horse Sport Ireland. “A year ago I would have felt quite nervous about a course like this,” said Patricia Ryan, “but this time I felt quite cool and confident, knowing that it was really within my capability.”

Michael Ryan's Old Road, by Puissance, a stalwart of the Irish team, is now 16 and has been dropped down a level to 3-star to “have some fun”. He may well now be making the trip to Poland for the HSBC FEI World Cup(tm) Eventing Final.

RESULTS (31.05.09)

CIC3* – W – Tattersalls – Irlanda

1º Patricia Ryan (Fernhill Clover Mist, IRL) 50.8 + 6.8 + 0 = 57.6

2º Michael Ryan (Old Road, IRL) 55.4 + 3.6 + 0 = 59

3º Mary King (Imperial Cavalier, GBR) 44 + 12.4 + 4 = 60.4

4º Polly Stockton (Westwood Poser, GBR) 42.7 + 10.8 + 4/4 = 61.5

5º Piggy French (What A Performance, GBR) 47.4 + 10.4 + 8 = 66.3

6º Mary King (Fernhill Urco, GBR) 45.2 + 17.6 + 4 = 66.8

7º Pippa Funnell (Blue Horizon, GBR) 47.9 + 10.4 + 4/5 = 67.3

8º Declan Cullen (Glenhill gold, IRL) 50 + 10 + 8 = 68

9º Camilla Speirs (Portersize Just A Jiff, IRL) 59.2 + 8.4 + 4 = 72.7

10º Matthew Wright (Cermont, GBR) 51.5 + 17.2 + 4 = 72.7