Royal visit for Tattersalls event
The Royal County will be at the receiving end of a royal visit at the end of the month when Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, the British Princess Royal, arrives to take part in the Tattersalls Ireland International Horse Trials World Cup Qualifier at the Fairyhouse venue in Ratoath.
The eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip is the reigning Eventing World Champion and was voted 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, an award her mother won in 1971.
Together with her horse 'Toytown', she collected individual and team gold medals at the 2005 European Eventing Championship in Blenheim and individual gold and team silver medals at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, making her the reigning Eventing World Champion. She will be riding 'Toytown' as one of five riders for the British equestrian team at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Ms Phillips is 12th in line to the throne, after her brother, Mark, who was married in Windsor Castle at the weekend. A former long-term girlfriend of jockey Richard Johnson, she is currently going out with rugby player Mike Tindall, who plays for Gloucester Rugby, and was part of the England World Cup winning squad in 2003.
Among the competitors entered so far for the Tattersalls event from 29th May to 1st June is the Australian husband and wife team Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks, New Zealander Andrew Nicholson and a strong contingent from the UK, including Ms Phillips, Pippa Funnell and William Fox-Pitt, all Olympic hopefuls.
Chairman of Tattersalls, Edmond Mahony, is delighted to see how the event is taking shape,” We are thrilled to see so many overseas competitors coming to the Tattersalls International Horse Trials to pit their skills against our top international Irish riders. It is a tribute to all those who have worked so hard to create a world-class event at Tattersalls. It justifies our commitment to open our wonderful facilities here to all aspects of Irish equestrianism.”
Tattersalls International Horse Trials has been voted Best Event of the Year in 2006 and 2007. The timetable sees dressage take place on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th May with the excitement of cross-country on Saturday 31st May and the crucial final showjumping phase on Sunday 1st June.
“The cross country course is looking tremendous.” said Tattersalls managing director, George Mernagh. “Hugh Lochore and Tommy Brennan have produced a challenging track for the FEI World Cup Qualifier. We are delighted also to be running a maximum number of horses with six competitions in all, from ponies to juniors and young riders as well as the International One and Two Star levels, where many of the promising international horses of the future will be performing.”
The excitement of the world-class horses in action will be matched by the fun of performances by Gina Pink and her Crufts Champion dancing dogs who will be giving a display of 'Heelwork to Music'. They will be joined by Carol Dodson and her dog Clifton, also a star performer, who has raised money for charities all over the UK.
The bank holiday weekend will provide a host of activities for families. Youngsters will be able to have fun making jewellery, Fimo Fairies, and kiddie bags while older family members can try their hand at archery, watch falcons at work or relax with a glass of wine or enjoy a meal in the restaurant in the marquee after exploring the tented village.
This year the HSI and Failte Ireland are supporting this event with HSI sponsoring the World Cup Qualifier.