Tattersalls Ireland deserve all the accolades they are receiving for staging a world class event and Patricia Ryan’s win and the Irish results in general capped off an unforgettable four days,” he said.
The HSI Chairman said that HSI’s Senior Eventing High Performance Manager Ginny Elliot and squad coaches Ferdi Eilberg in Dressage and Michael Quirke in Show Jumping were making a real difference.
“Not only had Ireland the top two placings but we had four riders in the top ten and eight in the top 20. This augurs very well for the future,” he said.
The Horse Sport Ireland Chairman also said the weekend had been good for Irish breeding with the top five horses in the World Cup qualifier all being Irish bred.
“Irish bred horses are the best in the world at eventing and it was a good weekend for the industry, which is worth €400m each year to the Irish economy,” he concluded.
Ireland claimed the HSBC Eventing World Cup Qualifier at Tattersalls, Co. Meath for the second year in a row today (Sunday) with a spectacular finish by Cork-based Patricia Ryan and the Irish-bred ‘Fernhill Clover Mist’.
Ryan’s husband Michael sealed the victory with a second place on John Butler’s gelding ‘Old Road’.
Lying overnight fourth after cross-country, Olympian Patricia Ryan faced the challenge of overtaking some of the world’s best event riders to claim the title, but a clear show jumping round this afternoon on Tom and Carol Henry’s 12 year-old bay gelding propelled her past British leaders Oliver Townend and Mary King to repeat Capt. Geoff Curran’s 2008 Irish victory.
Afterwards she said: “I am literally speechless. This is a dream come true – I am just over the moon.”
Two more Irish-bed horses finished in the top ten, with Declan Cullen slotting ‘Glenhill Gold’ into eighth and Camilla Speirs placing ‘Portersize Just a Jiff’ in ninth.
