Cavan link at Olympics equine Eventing
Seamus Enright
Cavan may have leading women's amateur golfer Leona Maguire flying the Cavan flag high ahead of the Rio Olympics set to start later this week, but the county has several more competitors, of the four-legged variety, also set to appear.
The aptly named 'The Duke of Cavan', a 10-year-old gelding, and Irish Sport Horse 'Castlewoods Jake', a 12-year-old gelding, both by Ricardo Z, will be ridden by their respective riders Oiwa Yoshiaki (Japan) and Luca Roman (Italy) in the three-day equine Eventing competition in Brazil, set to start this Saturday, August 6.
Meanwhile, diminutive 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse, 'Portersize Just A Jiff', a bay gelding out of Mizen Talent, and owned by Camilla Speirs has travelled as Reserve for the Irish Eventing team.
All were sold out of the Cavan Horse Sales.
Breffni connection
At the London Olympics in 2012, Yoshiaki competed in the individual eventing and team eventing, finishing top in the dressage portion of the individual competition. In doing so, nicknamed 'Yoshi', he made history as the first Asian rider to lead any four-star three-day event after dressage.
He will now be hoping that the Breffni blue name will add a rub of the green when he takes to the Olympic Eventing stage, across dressage, cross-country, and show jumping, at the weekend.
Tommy Fitzpatrick, a retired butcher and life-long horse-breeder from Kilrush, Co Clare, bred 'The Duke of Cavan' before selling him to Cornish-based event jumper Natalie Stevens at the local sales in 2013. He explained it was the English breeder herself who gave the horse its recognisable name.
“I sold him as a four-year-old and it was her who put the name on him. I have always bred horses, from when I could walk, and before that it was my father who bred them. We always had horses, who better than others,” Tommy told The Anglo-Celt.
Winner at Tattersall
'The Duke of Cavan was subsequently sent to the yard of Somerset trainer Millie Dumas, where the horse was talent spotted by the British Equestrian Federation for their world class pathway programme.
Winning the Two Star Tattersall event in Ireland, and with a double clear in the Three Star event at Blenheim, his success eventually led to him being sold to the Japanese Equestrian squad based in Germany.
“I have a few good show jumpers, along the same breeding lines, but its still great to see one make it to the Olympics. ['The Duke..'] was always a kind of promising horse, he was forward going. Its good for the Irish breeding to see it,” says Tommy.
Stuart Clarke of the Cavan Equestrian Centre, who is currently preparing for the busy upcoming August sales event on the 17-18-19 of this month, agrees.
Link to 'look out for'
He told the Celt: “'Portersize Just A Jiff', he is a Reserve this time around, but he competed at the London games, he also came out of the sales, so there are some success stories. There is a track record there.
“There is always a few that comes through the sales that go on to do big things, and we're delighted to see that. Its often done, as is the case with 'The Duke of Cavan' that the buyers name them after the place it relates to. We'd have a lot of customers coming from across Ireland, the UK and Europe looking to buy horses here.”
He adds: “We've had a few connections down through the years to various major events, so its brilliant to see it again, and the name itself gives an extra special link to look out for.”
The Duke of Cavan (ISH) – 2006 gelding by Courage II (HOLST) out of Dysert Girl (ISH) by Ricardo Z (ZANG) Breeder: Tommy Fitzpatrick (Clare). Rider: Oiwa Yoshiaki (JPN)
Castlewood Jake (ISH)- 2004 by Ricardo Z (ZANG) out of Tara Elegance (ISH), by Rebel II Z (HANN). Breeder: Patricia Barry. Owner: Luca Roman.
Portersize Just A Jiff (ISH)- 2000 bay gelding by Crosskeys Rebel (CP) out of Mizen Talent (ISH), by Mizen Melody (TB). Breeder: Philip GL White, Co. Derry. Owner: Bridget & Camilla Speirs.