Floody springs title
Bettystown native John Floody, who is based at Newgrange Stud, Beauparc, secured the HSI Chippison Spring Tour title on Sunday evening at Coilog Equestrian Centre, Kildare in the final round of the competition. The runner-up position was good enough to give the Meath man the trophy with the nine-year-old gelding 'Larkhill Cruiser' which is owned by Michael Smith from The Naul, Co Dublin. "Larkhill Cruiser is one of three horses which competed in the league, the other two are also owned by people from north Co Dublin," Floody told the Meath Chronicle. "The other owners are Jim Monks and Paula Rafter and all the horses have performed consistently this year. "The Chippison Spring Tour is the first major league of the year and I'm delighted to win it. "Larkhill Cruiser is a very good horse, I think he will be a contender for the Irish teams in the future, he was a national champion as a six-year-old and was the best seven-year-old the following year," he added. Last weekend all eyes were on Floody to see if he could take the 2010 title following his victory at the penultimate round at Clare Equestrian Centre. Although Floody only claimed the runner-up spot, behind Paul O'Shea and 'Day Dream St Ghyvan Z' that was good enough to leave him well clear of his nearest challenger, Ger O'Neill, who finished fifth at Coilog. "I'm absolutely delighted, Ger O'Neill put me under terrific pressure with two horses going clear, but Larkhill Cruiser coped very well with the pressure and I was very happy with him," added Floody. Riders were of the opinion for many years that there was a place for the tour because it facilitated earlier jumping for the National GP horses that could not get abroad to start their season. Also, for those looking to warm-up their international horses, it was an opportunity to get jumping early in the season. This year the tour proved extremely beneficial to riders at home and abroad. Floody will be in action again this weekend when he travels to Dundalk for the first round of the Premier League while the Autumn Grand Prix League will also be on the radar later in the year. Cian O'Connor also made use of the tour to warm up for his international duties as part of the Team Ireland equestrian squad that travelled to Lummen in Belgium at the weekend. O'Connor made a big impact on the first international outing at this world class event, taking the honours with Splendor in the 1.40 class last Saturday. The success continued for O'Connor, as his new chestnut mare 'K Club Lady' took third in the Grand Prix in Belgium. O'Connor recorded one of only three double clears in the eight-horse jump-off, but was slightly off the winning time set by Dutch winner Harrie Smolders and 'Exquis Walnut deMuze.' O'Connor used the Spring Tour in Wexford to introduce this new mount to Grand Prix competition. Another Meath rider, Alexander Butler took the honours at the Chippison Spring Tour on Easter Sunday with the Raymond Donohoe-owned Carton Free from Granard Prior to that, Butler won two classes at the Villenueve Loubet Tour France where he won two classes with this mare and was also third in the 1.50 GP with Will Wimble. He won a total of four classes in France and is sponsored by Holmestead Saddlery.