World champ Ahearne survives scare to win Studbook Series leg

World Champion Ethen Ahearne is up and running in the 2023 HSI Show Jumping Studbook Series after the Irish Sport Horse LVS Goldrush landed the seven-year-old class in Barnadown on Sunday, May 7^th.

Ahearne, who won gold at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses at Lanaken in Belgium, last year, survived a pre-jump-off scare to outgun his rivals on LVS Goldrush (ISH) and land the spoils. Riding the Dermot Walsh-owned seven-year-old Stakkato Gold gelding, Ahearne had taken a tumble in the warm-up arena prior to their second round but, incredibly, the pair dusted themselves down and made light work of the jump-off to win by almost a second and a half.

One of nine combinations to progress to a second round, including last year’s six-year-old winners Brendan Murphy and Shirsheen Calensky (ISH) and last week’s runners-up Tomas Doyle and Monbeg Ruby (ISH), Ahearne had a time to beat of 38.94 seconds, set by the latter.

Despite having had the scare just moments before, Ahearne and his mount entered the arena with full faith and were not to be outdone, jumping impeccably in a time of 37.55 seconds to take top spot.

LVS Goldrush won the seven-year-old class in Barnadown for Ethen Ahearne

Like in Galway last week, Doyle and Monbeg Ruby had to settle for second, with Robert Splaine and Coolcorron Lachlan (ISH) completing the podium after a clear second round in 39.39 seconds.

Reflecting on the win, and the strange circumstances that preceded it, Ahearne said: “We both had a fall in the warm-up – when we jumped, he just didn’t get the landing gear out properly and we tumbled.

“I fell straight to the ground and he sort of fell half beside me and half on top of me. We were unlucky but also lucky I suppose that he was fine.

“He’s been with me since last year as a six-year-old and he won the six-year-old final of the Studbook Series in Tattersalls for me in one of our first real competitions together. Then he placed in Vilamoura and his first show back since Vilamoura was the 1.40m TRM Spring Tour final and he was placed in that.

“Obviously then on Sunday he was very good on the grass but he has loads of promise and he’ll campaign through the Studbook Series before we look at Dublin qualifiers and ultimately we’ll hope to get him to Lanaken later in the year.”

The result leaves Doyle and Monbeg Ruby on top of the league table on 16 points after the first two legs, with Ahearne and LVS Goldrush sharing second position with Ger Clarke and Castleforbes Gillian on 10 points.

In the six-year-old final, Francis Derwin Jnr was quickest of the double clear rounds on board MMG Candy Lady (ISH), leaving all the poles standing in a time of 45.61 seconds.

Noel Cawley’s Luisa (ISH), who featured in HSI’s documentary ‘Horse Country’ with a Dublin Horse Show success, was double clear under Leah Stack in the five-year-old class as well as 18 other combinations on what proved a successful weekend for the Series at the Wexford venue.

To view the seven-year-old league tables CLICK HERE

To view the six-year-old league tables CLICK HERE

To view the five-year-old league tables CLICK HERE

BREEDING:

LVS Goldrush – 2016 Gelding by Stakkato Gold (HANN) out of Arcadia LVS (OLD) by Arko III (OLD). Owner: Dermot Walsh. Breeder: Heritage Bloodstock. Rider: Ethen Ahearne

Coolcorron Lachlan – 2016 Gelding by Goodluck VDL (KWPN) out of Dicksgrove Colleen (ISH). Owner Robert Splaine. Breeder John O’Sullivan. Rider Robert Splaine

Shirsheen Calensky – 2016 Stallion by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of Candy Copper (ISH) by Regal Sting (TB). Owner Linda Murphy. Breeder Patrick Murphy. Rider Brendan Murphy

Monbeg Ruby – 2016 Mare by Diamant De Semilly (SF) out of Ballycapple Mist (ISH) by Boherdeal Clover (ISH). Owner: Marti Rudd. Breeder: Marti Rudd. Rider Tomas Doyle

MMG Candy Lady – 2017 Mare by Sligo Candy Boy (ISH) out of Sligo Lord Cathargo (ISH) by Lord Z (HOLST). Owner Francis Derwin. Breeder John McGuinnes. Rider Francis Derwin Jnr

Luisa – 2018 Mare by Luidam (KWPN) out of Lexi Lady (ISH) by Flexible (ISH). Owner Noel Cawley. Breeder Noel Cawley. Rider Leah Stack

The HSI Studbook Series is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under National Breeding Services and is brought to you in association with Redmond Property Maintenance.