Irish rider Sam Watson is renowned for not wasting time across country and he has soared up the rankings with a classy performance  in the Noel C Duggan Engineering CCI4*-L at Millstreet International Horse Trials, Co Cork. 

Riding the appropriately named Ballyneety Rocketman, the Co Carlow horseman has risen from ninth place after dressage to head the cross-country leaderboard, the only rider with time penalties in single figures.

He has a showjumping rail and time penalties in hand over Cosby Green, one of a large contingent of US riders on the USEF European Developmental Tour; she was jointly second fastest with 20 time penalties on Highly Suspicious. 

New Zealander Jonelle Price is third on Chilli’s Midnight Star and the dressage leaders, Caroline Pamaukcu and She’s The One from the USA, are lying fourth after incurring 26.8 time penalties.

The 10-year-old Ballyneety Rocketman, bred by James Hickey by Diamond Discovery, was sold by the Ryan family at the Goresbridge Go for Gold sale. ‘It was 2018 and I was all fired up after the World Equestrian Games [where Ireland won team silver] so I bought him,’ explains Sam.

‘He’s an old-fashioned horse, by a thoroughbred [Diamond Discovery] and very blood, and he is a work in progress, but when you look at Badminton and Burghley, I knew I was on the right track. The cross-country track here at Millstreet was very fair, but it was twisty in parts and once the horse opens up, it can be hard to bring him back.’

Team Ireland had a good day in the FEI Eventing Nations Cup TM as the only country to boast four clear jumping rounds (albeit with a couple of time penalties) and the team has risen to third behind New Zealand and the USA with a mere 8.9 penalties covering the five teams going into tomorrow’s cross-country finale. 

Australia is now fourth, but two Aussies head the individual leaderboard for the Connollys Red Mills CCI4*-S: Christopher Burton retained his lead with a clear jumping round on Shadow Man and Kevin McNab (Scuderia 1918 A Best Friend) rose two places to second with a faultless performance.

The antipodean theme continued at 2* level with New Zealander Samantha Lissington retaining her lead in the Donal Hickey Motors CCI2*-L on Mr Cookie Time and scoring a one-two with Nadal and Never Know MB in the Coral Cove Young Horse Championship, while Australia’s Isobel English took the Foran Equine CCI2*-S on Jockeyhall Maximum Cruise. 

It was also a good day to be called Sam, as Britain’s Sam Ecroyd was the man of the moment across the two 3*s, winning the Eventing Ireland CCI3*-S on Stewart and Vicky Irlam’s Chapel House, an Irish Sport horse bred by John O’Sullivan by Sibon W, and, with his partner Emily King, dominating the CCI3*-L, in which they hold four of the top five places after cross-country.

Sam, who only incurred 0.4 of a time penalty in three cross-country rounds, praised the Millstreet team led by course-designer Mike Etherington-Smith. ‘The course rode the best it could, considering the recent wet weather; the distances and fences had all been well adjusted to the conditions and it created good pictures,’ he said.

He leads the CCI3*-L on Bloomfield Manuscript and does not have a show jumping fence in hand over Emily, second on Sunny Side Up, but has a 4-penalty advantage over British rider Tom Grant (Tommy Cruise), who has risen from 11th after dressage to third after cross-country.

Emily is also lying fourth on Maserati de Landetta Z and Sam is fifth on Boleybawn Lecrae. Sarah Ennis is best of the home side, in sixth place on Onceuponatime.

For the home nation, Carla Williamson, daughter of former National Hunt jockey Norman Williamson, leads the Pony 1* after cross-country on Ardeo Fireman and Galco.

Tomorrow’s cross-country action starts with the FEI Nations CupTM at 9am and the tension is palpable with Olympic places at stake.

For startlists and results, visit www.rechenstelle.de

For livestreaming, visit www.clipmyhorse.tv

Picture caption: Ireland’s Sam Watson takes the lead in the Noel C Duggan Engineering CCI4*-L at Millstreet International Horse Trials with a superb cross-country performance on Ballyneety Rocketman (Picture is free to use, but please credit Bit-Media).

Notes to editors:

Millstreet has previously hosted Young Rider, Junior and Pony European Championships and is the Irish leg of the 2024 FEI Eventing Nations Cup TM series.

The FEI Eventing Nations Cup TM for 2024 comprises seven European legs, of which Millstreet is the second to take place, with a final at Boekelo, Netherlands, in October. The series was established in 2012 and has provided invaluable team practice for up-and-coming riders and some thrilling competition.

The Duggan family have long been steeped in the Irish equestrian world, producing top-class competition horses and hosting international competitions. They are currently providing accommodation to some 300 Ukrainian refugees.

Millstreet has expansive facilities with eight all-weather jumping arenas and eight all-weather warm-up arenas, plus a beautiful parkland cross-country course in the grounds of Drishane Castle.

Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR) designed the cross-country courses for the Olympic Games  in 2000 and 2008, the world championships in 2010 and the European championships in 2005, 2019 and 2021.

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