Hill Cruise displays true champion's talent to win Bellevue final

Hill Cruise, a full sister to Capt Gerry Flynn's winning Nations Cup ride, Rincoola Abu, is the new Bellevue six-year-old champion, following the mare's brilliant performance in the final at Ballsbridge yesterday.

Ridden to victory by 19-year-old Mark Evans, the daughter of Cruising displayed all the talents of a true champion when a gallop to the finish line in 38.21 seconds left nearest rivals Marion Hughes and La Donna trailing almost four seconds adrift for second.

In the Sportsman Championship for five-year-olds, Leitrim rider John McGuinness gave Josephine Jordan's Clonguish Star a carbon-copy ride to get the best of a four-way jump-off for the coveted title, while Shane Breen slotted into second with Tess Conway's Salvia Ferencia.

By Cavalier, and bred by the owner, Clonguish Star was also ridden to another victory by McGuinness in the five-year-old championship at Balmoral last month.

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The Rockbarton B/C final concluded yesterday morning with a second championship win for Clement McMahon, this time with Ann-Marie Jamieson's Carnival Henry. Having also claimed Saturday's four-year-old championship with Suma Stud's VDL Arkansas, McMahon returned to the main arena to provide a path-finding clear with Carnival Henry, a seven-year-old by John Henry, to clinch the title.

Victoria Kirkwood rode Mervyn Clarke's Killigrew Dilemma to claim the young riders A/B final, while Christine Hall scored in the final of the young riders C/D with the seven-year-old gelding, First Clover.

As ever, the amateur competition created plenty of excitement in Simmonscourt for all concerned, but Cora Horan was the delighted recipient of the title with her winning round from Dalgan's Delight.

In the final of the Canada Life Grade A championship on Saturday, Lieut David O'Brien and River Boyne opened the contest in pole position, and despite a brave effort from Lieut Danielle Quinlivan and Cruise Hill, held on to make it a one-two for the Army Equitation School.


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