Geoff Curran (IRL) scored the biggest win of his career and made it a big day for Irish eventing when he beat a high-class field of Olympic hopefuls from seven nations to win the inaugural CIC***-W at Tattersalls (IRL), the eighth leg of the HSBC FEI World Cup TM Eventing series.

Curran, who rides for the Irish army and only switched from Jumping to Eventing in recent years, was fifth after Dressage with Kilkishen on 45.2, but he rose to third with one of the faster cross-country rounds (8 time penalties).

The final, Jumping phase was big and influential – there was only one clear, from Jim Newsam (IRL) on Saras Song, 22nd – and Curran used all his skill from his former career to get Kilkishen around with one of very few 4-fault rounds.

When others around him hit several fences and incurred time penalties, Curran’s performance was enough to clinch first prize by just 0.5.
Andrew Nicholson (NZL) on his likely Olympic ride, the very experienced 17-year-old four-star horse Lord Killinghurst, was left in the lead after cross-country, but he slipped to second with 12 faults.

Clayton Fredericks (AUS) on his potential Olympic horse Ben Along Time had led the Dressage on 35.9 and slipped to second with 15.2 cross-country time penalties, but he had a Jumping disaster and, after the horse was perhaps unsettled by crashing through an early fence, ended up with 19 penalties and eighth place.

The third and second place getters at Chatsworth finished third and fourth at Tattersalls, William Fox-Pitt (GBR) on the Burghley winner Parkmore Ed, one of three horses with which he is listed for the Olympics, ahead of British team reserve Pippa Funnell (GBR) on the ex-racehorse Ensign.

“My horse was fantastic in all phases,” said Curran. “I’ll never sit on another one with such a heart. He used to be a show jumper, but he doesn’t concentrate enough and the variety of Eventing suits him better.”

Ireland has qualified five riders through the FEI Olympic Rankings and will have a team in Hong Kong. Curran says if he is not selected, he will hope to aim for the HSBC FEI World Cup TM Eventing Final which has just been announced as being held at Deauville (FRA) on September 18-21.

The brand new cross-country course, designed by Tommy Brennan (IRL) of Punchestown fame with Hugh Lochore (GBR), proved a suitably straightforward pre-Olympic trial, with 33 of the 41 starters completing with 30 clear rounds.

No one achieved the optimum time, Julie Tew (GBR) finishing nearest with 1.6 on Look Out, 9th. World Champion Zara Phillips was eliminated for a horse fall with Tsanami at fence 3, an angled hedge and ditch.

Results:
1, Geoff Curran (Kilkishen, IRL) 45.2 + 8 + 4 = 57.2
2, Andrew Nicholson (Lord Killinghurst, NZL) 42.8 + 2.8 + 12 = 57.6
3, William Fox-Pitt (Parkmore Ed, GBR) 45.2 + 12.8 + 8 = 66
4, Pippa Funnell (Ensign, GBR) 41.3 + 12 + 14 = 67.3
5, Patricia Ryan (Fernhill Clover Mist, IRL) 54.1 + 8.4 + 6 = 68.5
6, Julie Tew (Sir Roselier, GBR) 50 + 4.8 + 14 = 68.8

With the top 40 riders in the HSBC FEI World Cup TM Eventing series securing places in the final, Geoff Curran moves into joint fourth place with the other qualifier winners; Clark Montgomery (USA) is still out in front on 160 points but William Fox-Pitt (GBR) has now moved into second on 126. Pippa Funnell (GBR) is joint third with Oliver Townend (GBR) on 115.

With nine more qualifiers to run, the FEI World Cup TM Eventing series returns to the southern hemisphere, to Melbourne (AUS) on June 6-9. The Moscow qualifier, which should have taken place this weekend, has been postponed to August due to adverse weather conditions affecting the course.

For more information, please check the official website www.feiworldcup.org.