Captain Gerry Flynn opened his Horse Show campaign with a decisive victory in yesterday's opening Grade A class with Rincoola Abu. The 34-year-old Army officer had been drafted into the Irish team 24 hours earlier to replace the injured Peter Charles.
The Army Equitation School featured strongly in this curtain-raiser, as Flynn was joined in the jump-off by his colleagues Lieut. David O'Brien (Marlton) and Lieut. Danielle Quinlivan (Killone Abbey). Flynn's Irish team-mate, Edward Doyle (Ears To You) and Denis Coakley (Toshiba Dream point) were the only civilians from a start list of 22 who succeeded in joining them in the deciding round.
Faced with the prospect of setting the standard in the jump-off, Flynn capitalised on Rincoola Abu's turn of foot. The mare, a daughter of Irish team horse Cruising, has an exemplary record in the Ballsbridge arena, having claimed a championship ribbon on each of her appearances over the past four years, and the form-book was validated when Flynn steered her to a clear round in 55.04.
His McKee Barracks colleagues were less successful in their attempts to overtake him, each lowering a pole in addition to stacking up a deficit on the timing clock.
Lieut. O'Brien coaxed a superb performance from the veteran Marlton, but a rail off the penultimate oxer ended his chances of success, while Lieut. Quinlivan had her hopes dashed when Killone Abbey ran in too deep to the third fence and connected with the top rail.
The only performance to rival Flynn's came from Cork-based Denis Coakley, on Toshiba Dreampoint who settled for second place when finishing clear again, but almost 10 seconds off Flynn's target time.
The Longford-born Army officer has enjoyed a fantastic success rate with Rincoola Abu and this win on home soil follows a successful campaign for them on the European circuit earlier this year.
In the Simmonscourt arena Cashel rider Shane Breen, winner of the prestigious Gain novice championship 10-days ago with Eleanor Hadden's Sea Duchess, kept the Duca Di Busted mare in the limelight with a win in the first MCR five-year-old class of the show. Breen enjoyed a three-second winning margin over Maeve McEvoy and Lismore Clover.
The four-year-old honours were claimed by Crumlin, Co Antrim rider Linda Courtney with Bryan McIvor's home-bred Killy Jones, by the French sire, Dow Jones Courcel. Going in the last quarter of the class, this bay gelding scored a runaway victory, with more than five points to spare over Padraig Corcoran and Clover Highlight, by Diamond Clover.