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‘Harley’ has been in the family since November of 2018, having previously been ridden by Nicola Philippaerts.
Allen explained: “My brother [Harry] rode him at one or two shows at the end of last year, and he’s in Spain now with a lot of the other horses. He came out here [to Wellington] the first week, so I thought it would be nice for him to ride him and see how it’s done over here, because it’s different in Europe. It was a good experience for him, and obviously it didn’t do the horse any harm.”
Allen won this same Grand Prix at the 2021 WEF with the Irish Sport Horse ‘Castlefield Vegas’. For ‘Harley VD Bisschop’, that pre-qualification into the Grand Prix and the grass venue made it an ‘encouraging’ decision to enter the horse.
“It’s great to be a winner any time, but to do it two years in a row, and also last to go, is that little bit sweeter too,” Allen said.
A total of four Irish riders finished in the top 10. Conor Swail and ‘Count Me In’ took fourth place, Shane Sweetnam was eighth with ‘James Kann Cruise’ (ISH), while Paul O’Shea finished 10th aboard ‘Squirt Gun’. The Irish Sport Horse ‘ABC Quantum Cruise’ finished seventh with Hector Florentino (DOM).
BREEDING
ABC Quantum Cruise (ISH) – 2009 gelding by OBOS Quality 004 (OLD), out of Ardnehue Diamond Cruiser (ISH), by Cruising (ISH). Breeder: Patrick Kehoe, Co. Carlow.
James Kann Cruz (ISH) by Kannan, out of CSF Telly Cruz by Cruising. Breeder: Patrick Connolly.
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