This article is from page 67 of the 2007-11-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 67 JPG
CLARE showjumping received a massive boost at the weekend when teenage rider, David Blake, based at the East Clare Equestrian Centre in Tuamgraney, took the top prize at the Cavan Two Star International Show.
Blake is fast making a name for himself on the national circuit and Sunday’s victory in what was the second most prestigious event in Ire- land, marks him out as a star of the JaUiaUN Ken
The Clare showjumper, on board Fabienne, eclipsed the country’s leading riders in the 40 strong event that saw the top performers over the course of the Cavan show compete for the weekend’s most coveted title.
Cian O’Connor, Shane Breen, Ed- ward Doyle, Francis Connors, as well as a number of top British riders all qualified for the event but it was the Clare kid that stole the headlines.
In the first round, Blake was among eight riders to go clear. First out in the jump-off was Tulla’s Shelia White, sister of Marie Burke. After her round, of eight faults, Blake was next out and he went clear in an im- pressive time of 34.52.
It set a clear marker for the remain-
ing six riders but slowly, it became obvious that Blake’s time couldn’t be surpassed. The quick time forced those who tried to match it into mis- takes.
“It was a nervous enough wait for the other six riders to jump, but we knew that David’s time was fast and it was going to take something special to beat that,” said his father, Michael on Monday.
“It’s easily his biggest win to date and we’re hopeful that he’s going to have a productive time on board Fa- bienne.”
On Monday, he travels to the conti- nent for a three event spell that will see him compete in Holland and Bel- cium. While Sunday’s victory brings some time in the spotlight, there are other headaches to sort out.
“At the moment we’re looking for a main sponsor,” said Michael Blake. “It’s an expensive sport especially when you factor in travel abroad, but we’ve a quality product and we’re confident that we’ll go from strength to strength.”
Sunday’s win, then, will be one stop on the road.