Seamus Hayes Dominates Second Round of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Munster GP League
Seamus Hayes and Twister who won the second round of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Munster Grand Prix League at Middleton Show
Writes Brian Hennessy
Tipperary’s Seamus Hayes dominated the second leg of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Munster Grand Prix league at Middleton Agricultural Show in Co Cork, by filling three of the top four places, including an all important win with Twister.
Hayes managed to guide three horses through to the jump-off giving him an excellent chance of success, but to place all three among the top prizes showed that the Fethard based rider is bang in form.
Speaking afterwards Seamus Hayes said,
“I am delighted with how all the horses jumped today, Twister is always naturally fast and I didn’t plan on going as fast as it turned out today, but he turned back much tighter than I expected to the third fence in the jump off, but it worked out well in the end. The other two horses are still quite young, Corphin jumped really well in the RDS qualifier at Coilog earlier in the week and he was really good again at Middleton along with Barichello W who finished fourth.”
The Heartbreaker gelding Twister has been a prolific winner on the Munster Grand Prix circuit for a number of years and when in form is almost unbeatable against the clock, this proved to be the case one again at Middleton, as Seamus Hayes winning clear round (33.70) aboard the fourteen year-old saw him with almost three seconds to spare over his nearest challenger, to collect the Irish Distillery Perpetual Trophy.
The only rider to come close to matching Hayes was another Tipperary-man Liam O Meara with the ever consistent Mr Coolcaum. This partnership have already been in the winner enclosure this season having won the HSI/Connolly’s RED MILLS Spring Tour at Wexford and another clear round in 36.23 seconds saw the Nenegh rider finish as runner up at Middleton.
Seamus Hayes filled third place after another foot perfect round with Jerry Sweetnam’s seven year old gelding Corphin, who is by the stallion Phin Phin out of an Orthos dam, before also managing to finish fourth with the Bian McClintock owned eight year old stallion Barichello W (by Quidam de Revel SF out of a Grannus Hann dam).
Spectators from the rebel county were happy to see local riders fill the next two placing’s, Cork’s Shane Dalton and the Cornet Obolensky mare Celine Dion grabbed fifth place, just ahead of young rider Patrick Joyce from Killeagh who was in excellent form finishing sixth with his father John Joyce’s Piltown S.
The next round of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Munster Grand Prix takes place at Ballinamona Equestrian Centre just outside Waterford City on Saturday June 7th.
Category: News, Results, Show Jumping
