THE Carlow Branch is certainly on a roll when it comes to combined training as it followed up wins in the discipline at the recent Irish Pony Club Festival with victory in both M O’Byrne Hire and Catering-sponsored classes at last week’s Dublin Horse Show.

Ailish Osborne recorded a narrow success in the Members’ section riding Michael Curran’s German-bred mare Ferregana, a 14-year-old bay by Ferragamo on whom she won the Open class at Mullingar.

Finishing second, as she did at the Festival, was Westmeath’s Emma Kennedy with Claire O’Leary of Clew Bay, who failed to feature two weeks previously, placing third.

Riding her father Andrew’s 10-year-old Clover Echo gelding Nauvoo, on whom she qualified through Area 2, Kennedy led after Jane Steward’s judging of Friday evening’s dressage phase on 117 points.

She was followed by Osborne on Ferregana (113.5) and O’Leary with Amanda O’Toole’s 11-year-old Cahir Hill Clover mare Alannas Blazing Comet (111) on whom she qualified through Area 6.

Disappointingly, not a single clear round was recorded at this level on Saturday.

Osborne and O’Leary had just a fence down apiece, to complete on 109.5 and 107 respectively, but Kennedy ended up splitting this pair as she had eight points deducted from her overnight score for a two-phase total of 109 which saw her finish second.

Osborne, who has just finished first year studying Agricultural Science in Waterford, secured her starting place at the RDS through the Area 1 qualifier at Boswell.

There, in spite of a pole down, Megan Telford-Kelly won the Intermediate combined training qualifier on Aughabeg Dun Boy. The 16-year-old and her mother Rosalind’s six-year-old gelding had no luck at the Festival but bounced back from that reversal at Dublin last weekend.

Theirs was a very comprehensive victory as they were a long way ahead of their rivals after dressage having been awarded 126.5 points. The Iveaghs’ Lucy McIlroy, representing Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland), was lying second overnight (113) with the Killinicks’ Anna Mai Stafford in third place (108).

At this level, one clear round was recorded on Saturday evening, but disappointingly for her, Courtney Jade Walsh, who represented Area 3 and the Tipperary Branch, was too far off the pace following dressage with the 20-year-old Westfalian gelding Pasodobel (80.5).

Three riders had one fence down apiece but five lowered two including the top three in the placings who, despite the loss of eight points, maintained their positions on the leaderboard.

Telford-Kelly took the honours on 118.5 with Aughabeg Dun Boy, who was bred by Michael Doyle at whose Bagenalstown Stud the winner’s sire, Aughabeg Spotty, stands.

The dun is out of the Porter Rhodes mare Aughbeg Sky Porter. McIlroy finished second on 105 with her mother Angela’s Major Black, a seven-year-old brown gelding by Imperial Hights, and Stafford completed in third place with her mother Breda’s nine-year-old dun mare, Fireglow (100).

Among other IPC members who had a good week at the show was the Ward Union’s Katie Byrne who landed the first title of the week, the Crescent Electrical Services riding horse championship, on Queens Master, a four-year-old mare by Kings Master.

MOUNTED GAMES

The Shillelaghs’ senior mounted games team were despondent last year when, having led from the outset, they were beaten in the final game at the Dublin Horse Show and went down by a point to the Laois Branch.

Last weekend they gained their revenge and in some style too, reclaiming the Leonard trophy by a 28-point margin as they won on a total of 218 with Laois second on 190.

Trained by John Driver, the team of Robbie Jackson, Jack Nolan, Jamie Doyle, Mollie Kinsella and Zach Furlong remain unbeaten this year, having won all four RDS qualifiers and the pre-show games at Tinahely.

In spite of losing members to the senior ranks, the Shillelaghs’ Juniors had been going well this season with victories at Gorey, Stradbally and Tinahely.

Unfortunately, with trainer John Walsh going for a hat trick, the team failed to win at the Festival. However, the Senior B team did their bit by recording a first Festival success.

Due to the major refurbishment taking place at the Curragh Racecourse, this year’s international mounted games festival will take place at Punchestown over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, October 14th and 15th.