Ireland's Winning Couple in World Cup Qualifier! Ryans on a roll!

Tattersalls International Horse Trials
incorporating the HSBC FEI World Cup ^TM Eventing Qualifier
28-31 May 2009

Press release: 31 May 2009

Tattersalls Ireland today was the scene of yet another fairy tale ending when Co Cork couple Patricia and Michael Ryan both jumped clear in the final show jumping phase of the Tattersalls International Horse Trials incorporating the HSBC FEI World Cup ^TM Eventing Qualifier to go top of the world! In a nail biting finish watched by an enormous and very enthusiastic crowd, Patricia Ryan kept her cool to steer the Irish bred Fernhill Clover Mist to a polished clear to take poll position in the World Cup Qualifier.

Quite magically her husband Michael on the experienced Old Road was one of only 2 other horses to jump the tough show jumping track clear of penalties to take the runner up spot in a competition which at the beginning looked like it was going to be dominated by the strong British contingent taking part. Mary King, part of the British Olympic squad ended in third position on Imperial Cavalier and Polly Stockton was fourth on Westwood Poser, a horse with its own Co Cork connections, being owned jointly by the rider and Arthur Comyn from Mallow.

Michael was on top form on all his horses. Earlier in the day he rode another professional clear on one of his younger horses, Dromgurrihy Blue, to put Ireland into the lead in the one star class sponsored by Rookery Park Stud when Britain's Olympic medallist William Fox-Pitt who had led from the start had two fences down in the final phase to finish in second place.

Ryan was clearly on a roll and in the next two star class he rode Annestown Emperor into third place behind Britain's Matthew Wright on Park Pilot and Francis Whittington on Easy Target owned by class sponsor Catherine Witt of Rookery Park Stud.

It was no surprise when Michael Ryan was announced as the winner of the Leading Rider prize and took home the €3500 prize sponsored by Bluegrass Horse Feeds.

The new Under 25 class sponsored by Eventing Ireland was won by Abigail Stock, a pupil of Polly Stockton in Cheshire, on Miss Haversham. Highest placed Irish young rider was local Sharon Reilly from Co Meath on Triple Point.

The Pegus Horse Feed sponsored Junior class was won by Wexford based Michelle Kenny with the Kildare riders Jamie Lyttle second on Tomba and Melanie Young third on Riverstown Express.

Shane Power,also from Kildare put in a magnificent performance on Tullibard's Squaw to finish on his dressage score and win the Pony class sponsored by the Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa. Joseph O'Brien, son of leading trainer Aiden O'Brien, was second on Ice Cool Bailey and Jane Hanningan on Castleview Rakish Milly was third.

The Ian Olding Award for the Most Improved Irish Rider after the dressage went to Camilla Speirs who moved from 35th after dressage to 9th in the World Cup class.

The Tattersalls Special Award for the highest placed thoroughbred in each class went to Pippa Funnell's Blue Horizon, Elizabeth Power's September Bliss and Kate Harrington's Shaduragh. September Bliss also won the Tattersalls Graduate Award for the highest placed horse sold through the ring at a Tattersalls sale.

For more information and results: www.tattersalls.ie/events

Press information: contact Claire Faulkner
Tel 0044 (0) 7703 534623
claire@project-planning.com