By Dan Walsh
Part-time event rider Lucy Latta, (27), from Ballycarney, Enniscorthy,has achieved one of the greatest results in the history of Irish eventing, after posting a runner-up finish at the prestigious Mars Badminton Horse Trials in England today.
Eight faults on RCA Patron Saint in today’s jumping phase enabled Latta to rise to second from an overnight position of third in the 75th edition of the competition.
Latta was agonisingly close to ending the 59-year wait for an Irish victory, from Major Eddie Boylan’s triumph on Durlas Eile in 1965. Not alone was this Latta’s first time participating in one of the jewels of the global eventing calendar, this was her first ever five-star competition.
Astoundingly, she is a part-time athlete with a full-time job as a brand manager of a drinks company and RCA Patron Saint, who goes by the name of Paddy when not on the day job, is the only horse Latta rides.
Few would have chosen Latta from the Irish representation to join the group at the start of the week but she and the outstanding 13-year-old gelding relished the conditions to take the eventing world by storm.
“What a week,” said Latta, still trying to take it all in. “I’d have bitten your hand off if you told me this would have happened at the start of the week.
“I couldn’t have asked for any more from him. He’s the best cross-country horse there is, and I had a good round (today).
“I can dream about the Olympics, I would love to think I could go,” said Lucy, who concluded “My horse was phenomenal this week, and there’s still loads to improve on with him, in the dressage, and things to clean up in the show jumping.”
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