The Irish squad opened their account at the Hickstead Derby meeting in Sussex yesterday afternoon with a speed class win for Captain John Ledingham (Millstreet Ruby) and a second pacing in the main event of the day for Erik Holstein (Ballaseyr Kalosha).
Holstein (24), who placed fifth in the Dublin Grand Prix on Sunday, had to work hard for his moment in the Hickstead limelight yesterday. The young Co Kildare star, who has been drafted on to the senior squad for next week's Nations Cup engagement in Rotterdam, was third to go in a seven horse jump-off and his was the second fastest of the three double clears.
Britain's Mark Armstrong, who trained in Ireland for 18 months at the start of his professional career, was almost three seconds quicker than Holstein around the jump-off track and this win signals a promising future for the nine-year-old mare, Primma. Armstrong rates this Dutch-bred more highly than Corella, the mare which suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage four months after competing with him at the 1993 European championships.
Ledingham's clear round in the Hickstead Salver yesterday afternoon was one of only three in a lacklustre speed class, and gave him a decisive winning margin of almost 14 seconds over Britain's William Funnell (Comex).
This was the King of Diamonds mare's seventh international win of the season, and it came on the day that the Army revealed they have finalised a deal to lease another King of Diamonds mare, Diamond Explosion, from her American owner. Diamond Explosion, the former mount of Waterford rider Francis Connors, made her debut in the Army colours yesterday morning, when she knocked two rails in a speed class under Captain Gerry Flynn.
Ledingham will be bidding for a fourth Derby victory on Sunday with Kilbaha, whose recent form, including second and third placings in the Dublin and Aachen Grands Prix, indicates that he is primed to regain the place on the winner's podium he occupied in 1994 and 1995 and relinquished last year to Brazil's Nelson Pessoa.
The Irishman's chances have been given a significant boost due to the absence of the top five British riders, who have forsaken Hickstead in favour of a fixture running concurrently at Valkenswaard, part of the Pulsar crown series, which offers the possibility of winning bonuses worth up to £1.25m.
Ireland's Robert Splaine is also a non-runner. The reigning Hickstead speed champion had to withdraw when he sustained two broken ribs in the Dublin Horse Show last week.
Derby tankard - 1, Primma (M Armsrong, Britain); 2, Ballaseyr Kalosha (Erik Holstein, Ireland); 3, Lionel (R Hoekstra, Britain). Hickstead Salver - 1, Millstreet Ruby (Captain John Ledingham, Ireland); 2, Comex (W Funnell, Britain); 3, Burnbrook Again (G Fletcher, Britain).
