The Irish team of Sam Watson/Horseware Bushman (ISH), Sarah Ennis/Sugar Brown Babe (ISH), Josephy Murphy/Electric Cruise (ISH) and Camilla Sperirs/Portersize Just a Jif (ISH) finished third at last weekend’s FEI Eventing Nations Cup, which was held at Ballindenisk, Watergrasshill, Co Cork.

The compulsory elimination of Sam Watson and Horseware Bushman after a fall on the cross-country track reduced Ireland’s chances of moving up the rankings. Although his fellow team members all went clear in the cross-country phase, the team could not catch the British team, who overtook France to collect the winners’ trophy.

Sarah finished sixth individually, with Joseph in ninth and Camilla in 10th place. Britain’s Oliver Townend and the Irish Sport Horse Cooley Master Class (Cooley Master Class (Ramiro B x Master Imp, bred by John Hagan) were the individual winners in the Nations Cup. Ballindenisk was the first time Ireland had hosted a leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup series.

In the other classes at Ballindenisk, Ireland’s Elizabeth Power won the CIC2* on the Irish Sport Horse HHS Comporta Beach (Beach Ball x Coevers Diamond Boy), with fellow Irish rider Alison Holden taking the CIC1* on Maximus Orielius.

team scores

The individual Irish team scores were:

• Sam Watson/Horseware Bushman (ISH) - Eliminated.

• Sarah Ennis/Sugar Brown Babe (ISH) - 47.5.

• Joseph Murphy/Electric Cruise (ISH) – 54.

• Camilla Sperirs/Portersize Just a Jif (ISH) - 54.2.

See team on page 33.