THERE has been an extremely poor entry this year for the Treo Eile thoroughbred class at the Western Region of Eventing Ireland Bert Properties starter series, with just three horses being entered on Sunday, one of whom failed to meet his engagement at the Claremorris Equestrian Centre.

This is particularly disappointing in light of the great exposure the class got last year when the winner, Charlie Walshe’s once-raced Gervada, went on to land a similar class at the Stepping Stones to Success league and final. Through the Young Eventhorse Series, the Vadamos gelding then qualified for the Dublin Horse Show, where he finished equal third in the five-year-old young event horse class.

Five horses have qualified for Monday’s final of the series at Milchem Equestrian and hopefully all will start.

On Sunday, both the Julie Spring-ridden Mr Vincent and the Sadhbh Gannon-partnered Dingle Bay scored well on the flat with the day’s dressage judge, Meryl Connaughton, having them on 58 and 51 points respectively. However, both geldings erred in the jumping phase, Mr Vincent’s 12 faults reducing his completion score to 46 while Dingle Bay finished on 43.

The winner, an unraced seven-year-old by Watar, is the last of just three foals out of the also-unraced Cantou, whose previous two produce, Young O’Leary (by Scorpion) and Killer Mode (by Doyen) both won under National Hunt rules.

“I’ve owned Vincent since he was five,” revealed Spring. “As he was so big, I have taken things very slowly to let him mature. He has done a couple of unaffiliated events and some dressage. If we can keep shoes on, he will go affiliated eventing this year.”

An eight-year-old by Alhebayeb who last ran in July 2020, Dingle Bay competes in Riding Club activities. Last June, he finished second in the thoroughbred working hunter class at the Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ Festival in Mullingar, where Gannon represented Westport.