Winning ways for Team McNab at Kilguilkey! Photo courtesy McNab Eventing
Kevin McNab has started the campaign to defend his 2018 win of the Horse Sport Ireland €10,000 Eventing Challenge on a strong note.
Kevin won the Plusvital CCI3*-S at Kilguilkey International riding his wife’s 11-year-old Irish bred Fernhill Tabasco, who was ridden by Emma at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon last year but is currently being ridden by Kevin as Emma is expecting their first baby
Kevin and Fernhill Tabasco impressed the judges in the dressage phase, scoring 23.8 and, although they had one rail down in the show jumping, their strong dressage lead was enough to keep them ahead of second placed Sam Watson riding Imperial Sky, who finished on their dressage score of 29. Cathal Daniels on the very promising Harieko DHI finished third (31.2)
The win gives Kevin his first points in the 2019 Horse Sport Ireland €10,000 Eventing Challenge where riders compete for league points at various Irish International Horse Trials to win the cheque at the final leg in Ballindenisk, Co. Cork in September. Ireland’s Sam Watson is currently at the top of the leaderboard but Kevin will returning to Ireland to continue to defend his title
Not content with winning one class, Kevin also took the Eventing Ireland CCI2*-S on board the six-year-old Fortune III. Third after dressage on 27.2 penalties, the pair moved into the lead with a clear show jumping round and added nothing in the cross country phase to win ahead of Irish riders Adam Haugh (Van Thee Man) and Ella Boyle (WKD Cooley).
Ireland’s Cathal Daniels continued his top form with a win in the Global Event Horses CCI4*-S at Kilguilkey after taking wins at Bramham (watch his winning 4* cross country ride at Bramham here) and Tattersalls
Emma McNab and Fernhill Tabasco at Tryon 2018
