IRISHBRED horses filled the top three slots and it was a typically Irish name that was announced as the winner of the Mitsubishi Motors trophy at Badminton yesterday. But David O'Connor hails from Virginia, USA, rather than Virginia, Co Cavan, and all hopes that Eric Smiley would keep the purebred Irish in the limelight were dashed when three knocks in the show jumping dropped Enterprise from fifth to 12th in the final line up.
A stunning cross country clear from Smiley and the 14 year old Enterprise laid the ghosts of Atlanta well and truly to rest and boosted the Ballinahinch partnership up from 13th to overnight sixth. But a sore fetlock joint caused consternation in the Irish camp yesterday morning and only some concentrated work from team vet Hugh Suffern got the horse through the trotup.
A supremely confident show jumping clear from David Foster and Duneight Carnival, mirroring their crosscountry result 24 hours earlier, boosted them up from 72nd to 24th and raised expectations that Eric Smiley could go close to achieving the triumphant 1965 result when Eddie Boylan rode Dudas Eile to Ireland's only Badminton win.
But Enterprise cleared only four fences before lowering Irish spirits with a rail down that was all too swiftly followed by a further two. With 15 penalties to add, Enterprise dropped out of the top 10 and eventually finished 12th.
Saturday's crosscountry, which was marred by horrendous weather conditions, produced an incredible 45 clear rounds, including one from Ireland's Virginia McGrath. Letting the talented gelding The Yellow Earl run at his own pace, the Kildare jockey was never fazed by her first tour over the massive Badminton fences. But a falling branch on the approach to the first in the show jumping nearly resulted in a stop and it was always an uphill struggle to renew the harmony.
Ireland's Lucy Thompson and Alfie Butler experienced the down side of three day eventing this weekend. Thompson suffered a crunching fall when Welton Molecule over jumped the Quarry four from home, while Butler had a runout in the middle of the Mitsubishi M at the opposite end of the course and, although he and Sir Knight completed, they were subsequently eliminated for failing to jump the central element in their emergency rerouting.
Luck also deserted Ian Stark and Stanwick Ghost, the pair that had led from the dressage phase and whose crosscountry clear at the end of Saturday's action was the picture of perfection. Unfortunately the same could not be said of the show jumping and the Scottish rider saw the Mitsubishi Motors trophy slip from his grasp over the coloured poles as Stanwick Ghost lowered five to plummet from first to 13th.
Stark's dramatic disappearance from the top slot left the way clear for David O'Connor and Custom Made, the Bassompierre gelding bred by Kate Horgan and Elizabeth O'Flynn, to score their first ever Badminton victory.
Custom Made led an Irish trio at the top of the Badminton placings, with Mary King's Burghley winner Star Appeal (by I'm A Star) in second and Cosmopolitan II (by Penistone) third for William FoxPitt.
