Northern Ireland is to host a new three-star show jumping international filling a void left by last year’s cancellation of the Belfast International Horse Show (BIHS).

Northern Ireland is to host a new three-star show jumping inernational, filling a void left by last year’s cancellation of the Belfast International Horse Show.

The new Northern Ireland International Horse Show says it has no connection with the defunct Belfast five-star show, which was cancelled in October last year only a week after announcing it would go ahead.

The beleaguered BIHS was set to take place at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena from 1-4 December 2005, but ran into financial difficulties. The separate Northern Ireland International Horse Show will take place at the same venue on 18-22 October.

On the subject of the BIHS, a Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) spokesman said no application had been made for the cancelled show to go ahead this year. She added that a new application could not proceed if prize-money was owed to riders, as is believed to be the case.

At the time of the cancellation, it was estimated that about £140,000 was owed to creditors, including a number of riders, by the show — the brainchild of Theresa McKenna of Equestrian Sports Promotions, a company that has since “wound up”.

Ms Mckenna, BIHS event director, confirmed the show was defunct just days after indicating potential backers could fuel its combacke.

She said its debts totalled about £100,000 – H&H, for one, is owed £3,000 for unpaid advertising – and announced that a “final plea” for a new show ws rejected on Monday while debt remained.

“Our new investros are not prepared to take the risk of making a payment in advance and being turned down for our already well-planned 2007 show,” said Ms MKenna, providing no comment on future resolution of the debt.

The separate Northern Ireland International Horse Show, run by new company Event Direct Limited, has secured sponsorship. Its directors are chaired by businesman/show jumping owner Joe Sloan.

A new company, Event Direct Limited, was formed in February to drive the venture. Its directors are chaired by businessman and show jumping owner Joe Sloan.

The other five directors are championship course-designer Jon Doney, show director of BIHS in its first year (2003) and a past HOYS show director; Kelvin Bywater, organiser of show jumping’s Blue Chip Championships and the Horse & Hound Winter Dressage Championships, Raymond Jess, Harold Lusk and former Irish Equestrian Federation president Lewis Lowry.

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The cancellation of Belfast International Horse Show, just one week after it was confirmed to go ahead, has not dampened the organisers’ hopes of a 2006 resurrection.

A new management team is already planning the beleaguered show’s return to the international calendar.

Until last week, the fixture was set to take place (1-4 December) at the state-of-the-art Odyssey Arena — its venue for the past two years.

The brainchild of Theresa McKenna of Equestrian Sports Promotions, the show was styled along the lines of London’s Olympia. But the ambitious project ran into financial difficulties from the start — surrounded by speculation about its future.

It is understood that creditors, including a number of riders, are owed about £140,000, and it is still unclear when, and if, they will be paid.

Earlier hopes of a rescue plan included the appointment of showing maestro Hugh McCusker as chairman of a new management team — also including former Irish international show jumping and event rider Vina Buller, from Co Down.

Intensive talks were held with Theresa McKenna and a 7 October statement, put out by Buller, announced this year’s show would proceed on planned dates “under a new management team and company”, with tickets going on sale from 18 October.

The statement stressed it was “imperative that the show has complete industry backing to secure its future”.

However, the rescue operation was finally called off last Thursday. “We realised that it just couldn’t work,” McCusker said. “We couldn’t do justice to it in the time we had left.

“If we’d been aware earlier of just how much needed to be done, we might have been able to save it, but it’s a five-star show at a five-star venue and we’ve decided now that we’ll pick it up and run a super show next year.

“It won’t be running under the old company — there will be a new one in charge.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (20 October, ’05)

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Switzerland’s Daniel Etter stormed to victory in the £81,000 Grand Prix on the final day of the Belfast International Horse Show yesterday. Etter had the best of the draw in the 10-horse Grand Prix jump-off and was chasing the 35.79sec target set by fellow Swiss competitor Markus Fuchs.

Capt Shane Carey was pathfinder against the clock with Lismakin but, as one of the three first-round four-faulters who qualified for the top-10 finale, his clear round was only good enough to secure seventh spot in the final analysis. Ireland’s Harry Marshall (All Shook Up) and Austria’s Gerfriend Puck (S&L Bleeker) both had one fence down to complete with a two-round total of eight.

Frenchman Michel Hecart had been foot-perfect with Itot de Chateau in the first round but the second part of the influential double hit the floor this time. Richard Davenport suffered the same fate two fences earlier with Laguina, but crossed the line a fraction quicker.

Fresh Direct Cloudy Night caught both the second part of the bogey double and the final vertical to put Tim Stockdale on a total of eight faults, leaving Carey’s early clear looking all the more impressive with just four left to jump.

Fuchs and Royal Charmer managed a second clear round, although in turning from the double to attack the pink oxer, which caused quite a few interesting moments throughout the class, the Swiss rider found himself having to stretch to the limit. After clearing the final fence and racing through the finish with the reins almost on the buckle, Fuchs was left scrambling for control as Royal Charmer eyed up the first oxer from the landing side.

Their time of 35.79sec gave the remaining riders a stiff task and Belgium’s Jean-Claude Vangeenberghe was almost three seconds slower when following with the handsome Osta Rugs Andiamo Z, who also left the course intact.

Billy Twomey had a bit of an altercation with an arena steward, who didn’t want to let him view the action from the tunnel before he took his turn, but it didn’t put the Corkman off his stride. He was having a real crack at it until Anastasia clipped the last and his time of 36.51 was still not fast enough.

Etter was last into the ring and he took full advantage, scorching round with the nine-year-old mare Hermine D’Auzay, whose ground-eating stride brought him home over a second quicker than his fellow-countryman Fuchs.

Hermine D’Auzay was bought from a friend as a six-year-old and then sold and bought back. “She competed in her first Grand Prix here in Belfast last year and although I could hardly expect to win this time I knew for sure I would fight for it and I’m very happy,” said the 30-year-old Swiss rider.

“I told myself not to think about it and just to go for it. She’s a very fast horse, the faster she goes the better she jumps but what a nice thing it is to get a standing ovation when you win!” he said. The crowd certainly appreciated the exciting conclusion to a great weekend of competition, jumping to their feet with a roar of appreciation.

Etter joined Fuchs and Ireland’s Dermott Lennon to win the Triple X Relay earlier in the day, when Robert Whitaker and his father John teamed up with Norway’s Geir Gulliksen to slot into second ahead of Billy Twomey, Andrew Davies and Jean-Claude Vangeenberghe.

Ellen Whitaker proved a real winner with the crowds who thoroughly enjoyed her dare-devil style all week. She kept them happy again yesterday when beating Billy Twomey at the post in the exciting Knock-Out where, once more, she threw caution to the wind to come home ahead with Henri de Here.

It was another win, this time with Marius Claudius, that sealed the Leading Rider award for Robert Smith who topped the Show Jumping Stakes with an authoritative performance that could not be bettered.

Ireland’s Harry Marshall had set the target with Ado Annie in 50.85sec but Marius Claudius stopped the clock on 49.88 and was never truly challenged despite the best efforts of the 22 remaining runners.

• Don’t miss this Thursday’s Horse & Hound (9 December, ’04) for a complete round up and pictures of all the action from Belfast.

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There was a whitewash by the British riders at the Belfast International Horse Show yesterday where John Whitaker and Tim Stockdale shared the honours in the late-night BMI Puissance, Robert Smith won the Europa Classic and Robert Whitaker topped the Newsletter Equestrian Life Speed Stakes.

The Puissance went to a full five rounds and was a real thriller, keeping spectators right on the edges of their seats. Just three of the 12 starters made it through to round five when the wall stood at a massive 2.20m (7ft 3ins). John Whitaker led the way in the final phase with Exploit du Roulade who only grazed the coping on the way up to clear it and put huge pressure on the remaining two riders.

Tim Stockdale and Lavaletto however had made it look very easy indeed over the previous four rounds and, once again, the 11-year-old gelding soared over effortlessly to ensure a draw.

The home supporters were right behind Captain Shane Carey and the lovely grey mare Cruise Hill but the Irish partnership were just a bit too flat and when the bricks began to fall it was left to the British duo to share the bulk of the £18,000 prize-fund.

In the Europa Hotel Classic 10 jumped clear first time out to go against the clock. British-based Irishman Dave Quigley was pathfinder in the second-round jump-off with Ashdale Futuro and lowered two fences, but William Funnell and Cortaflex Machiavelli went clear in a time of 31.95sec to set the early standard.

Belgium’s Jean Claude Vangeenberghe bettered that when steering Osta Rugs Tresor across the line in 31.53sec but French-based British lady rider Alex Rident then set another new target with Hermes de Bruyeres, who crossed the line clear in 30.55sec.

Ireland’s Captain Shane Carey (Lismakin) and Trevor Coyle (Over Time GMS) and Britain’s Tim Stockdale (Fresh Direct Cloudy Night) each made a single error and although Richard Davenport’s Laguina was foot-perfect, his time was over a second slower than that recorded by Rident.

This left only Robert Smith in a position to better Rident’s performance. He did just that with a superb round from Kalusha who took a real flyer at the final oxer to stop the clock in an incredible time of 28.53sec.

“I watched the first three horses go and I thought Alex would be fairly fast but I knew I could win it,” he said afterwards. “Kalusha is very quick and very careful even though he can be a bit of a gangster — he would drop me if he got the chance.”

The horse seems to have real liking for the Belfast arena where he recorded a big win and two second placings last year and Smith pointed out that Kalusha is “always better indoors”.

Robert Whitaker’s Karina also seems to approve of the facilities in the Odyssey ring as Elizabeth Hunt’s 12-year-old marewas also a winner here last December. Her 21-year-old rider was surprised that nobody could match or better the target he set early in the Newsletter Equestrian Life Speed Stakes.

Fifth into the ring he stopped the clock on 44.64sec after cruising round the winding track, which demanded honesty, accuracy and forward riding all the way. The turn from the penultimate upright to the final oxer proved the undoing of much of the rest of the field.

Robert Smith looked set to make it a double when galloping to the last with Riverside Glen, who broke the beam in 44.29sec, but the pole hit the floor to add four more seconds to his time. Billy Twomey met exactly the same fate with Tropicana, who was even faster still in 43.34sec but tipped the front rail of the bogey final oxer.

Tim Stockdale’s time of 43.92 with Fresh Direct Glenwood Springs would have done the trick, as would Michael Whitaker’s time of 44.16sec with Renzerin VD Rampaarden, but that final turn caught out even these veteran campaigners. This left Robert Whitaker at the top of the prize-giving line-up, while Andrew Davies was rewarded for a less-risky clear with Celine when taking second place. Twomey was third with Stockdale slotting into fourth.

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Germany’s Franke Sloothaak topped the line-up in the big class on the opening day of the Belfast International Horse Show yesterday, while Tim Stockdale (pictured right) opened the British account when winning the opening competition of the four-day fixture.

The late-night Titanic Quarter Winning Round saw five groups of seven riders doing battle. The group winners were joined by the three fastest losers in the jump-off.

Robert Smith, Nick Skelton and Ireland’s reigning world champion, Dermott Lennon, qualified in the latter category but four faults for Marius Claudius and eight for Arko in the jump off left the British riders down the line in fifth and seventh respectively.

Lennon was making a rare Irish appearance, as he has been based for some years now in Holland, and he made his home-coming an impressive one. He set the second-round target with a great clear from the 14-year-old gelding Impact, who has been one of his top rides since losing the services of his world championship partner Liscalgot.

Switzerland’s Daniel Etter bettered the Irishman’s time of 36.46sec when scorching across the line with Hermine D’Auzay, but a pole on the floor negated his 2sec advantage.

Sloothaak and the nine-year-old Sundance K cruised round from fifth draw to re-set the parameters with a clear in 35.78secs, leaving the rest to battle it out for the minor placings. Ireland’s Clem McMahon (Hermes de Reve) and Marion Hughes (Heritage Transmission) both faulted once, while Marie Burke retired after an early error from her talented stallion Chippison.

Sloothaak picked up the winner’s purse of £5,000 while Lennon took £3,600 for runner-up spot. Etter finished third ahead of McMahon in fourth.

The action at the Odyssey Arena, in the heart of the Belfast docklands, kicked off with a good result for Tim Stockdale, riding Fresh Direct Glenwood Springs, who left the rest trailing in his wake to take the £2,000 top prize in the Equestrian Sports Promotions Welcome Stakes. The home side’s Cian O’Connor slotted into second with a new ride, the grey mare Night Dancer.

The 25-year-old Irish rider has been coming under heavy fire over the potential loss of his Olympic gold medal following a positive dope test result in Athens and the susequent theft of the horse’s B urine sample.

Despite all the controversy O’Connor got a huge reception when riding into the Odyssey ring for the first time yesterday and he was still grinning broadly when he lined up behind Stockdale and Fresh Direct Glenwood Springs in the first prize-giving ceremony.

Britain’s Alex Rident slotted into third here with a great speed round from Dody de Chalusse while Michel Hecart was next in line riding the Irish-bred That’s Life.

Austria’s Gerfried Puck and Mozart who stood top of the line in the second class of the afternoon, the Equestrian Surfaces Star Studded Premier Stakes. Puck pipped Belgium’s Jean-Claude Vangeenberghe and Osta Rugs Trebor to the top spot by the smallest of margins while John Whitaker kept the British flag flying in third with the 12-year-old stallion Exploit de Roulard.

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