O’Shea not ready to throw in the towel

PAUL O’SHEA is 10 points behind leader Clem McMahon in the Atec Premier Series with only two rounds remaining and is surprised to be there.

That is not to say he is ready to throw in the towel, though. While conceding that McMahon is in the driving seat, O’Shea says he has no intention of giving up the chase —... even if his quarry is almost out of sight.

“I have only a small chance of catching Clem, but that won’t stop me trying. To put it in perspective, I need to win this weekend and have Clem gain no points, or, very little, to have a chance,” said O’Shea, who is based in Paul Clarke’s yard in Loughshinny, near Skerries, Co Dublin.

O’Shea has picked up points in four of the eight rounds, including a win at Balmoral, which gave him 10 of his 25-point total.

“I did not start with the aim of winning, as I was away a lot earlier in the season. The fact I am in second place is a surprise to me, but I am definitely going to give it a good go. In this game, anything can happen,” said O’Shea, who saddles three horses in this weekend’s penultimate round — The South County Dublin Junior Hunt Horse Show — which has been transferred from Celbridge, Co Kildare, to Kill International Equestrian.

Of the three, The Patriot, his Balmoral winner, is “the fastest”, while Killard Horizon, owned and produced by Paul Duffy in Galway, is described as “a promising nine-year-old”.

“He didn’t jump as a four-year-old, but he showed his potential by winning at Kilogue and coming second in the Premier Series at Barnadown.”

The trio is completed by the French-bred Jor de Lenon, who carried O’Shea to victory in the grand prix in Lummen, Belgium, in April.

McMahon’s season has seen him gain points in five rounds, including a win at Blessington and second in Mullingar. He could be both amused and impressed by O’Shea’s determination to overtake him, but it is fair to say the Clones rider has it all to lose at this stage.

The winner-takes-all Atec series offers the victor the use of a Citreon Picasso for a year. The attraction for riders lies in the large prize-money available at the eight competitions. The baseline is €12,000, but this weekend sees €20,000 on offer in Kill, with the Millstreet final topping this by €1,000.

O’Shea is impressed by the series, which was launched this year.

“It a brilliant idea and the difference in prize-money is amazing. The money on offer makes it attractive for Irish owners to keep horses and Irish riders to stick around,” he said.

THE four riders selected to represent Ireland at this month’s European Championships in Mannheim, Germany, are: Marie Burke and her stallion Chippison; German-based duo Cameron Hanley on SIEC Hippica Kerman and Jessica Kürten with either Castle Forbes Libertina or Quibell and Marion Hughes and Heritage Transmission. Cian O’Connor is the reserve rider with Irish Independent Echo Beach.

The championships take place on August 14-19 with 20 countries contesting the team competition. Ireland, under manager Robert Splaine, are bidding for Olympic qualification and must finish in the top three, excluding Germany, Holland, Ukraine and Switzerland, who have already booked their place.

THE case against German show jumper Daniel Deusser, whose horse tested positive at the April World Cup final in Las Vegas, is reported to have been dismissed.

Deusser’s mount Air Jordan was found to have reserpine in its system after the pair finished second in the final.

The drug, a sedative used for humans that is said to have a calming effect on equines, was confirmed in the B sample following testing at the Laboratoire des Courses Hippiques in Paris.

However, it is believed the case was dismissed after problems emerged with the seals on the samples.

The dismissal will again call into question the procedures of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI).

THE Ballinhassig Farmers’ Gymkhana takes place this Sunday, with 1.10m Merlin’s Magic €1,000 the feature. There is €500 on offer for a 1.20m jump-off, with a similar amount up for grabs in the Dalton Civil Engineers-sponsored 128cms ABC.

The last Starfinder class for Millstreet Show for 5/6/7-year-old ponies is also on the schedule, along with the last qualifier for IHB Amateur series.

The gymkhana takes place at Ballinphellic, starting at 10am with four arenas in operation.