STABLE jockey Colin Halliday made the most of home advantage when the final qualifier for next month’s Balmoral/Knotts Bakery young event horse championships was staged at Lusk Equestrian Centre on Tuesday.

Halliday had two rides for Alan McCrossan in the four-year-old class and won on the second of these, Ferros Aim (77.25%), while placing third on the Van Gogh gelding Van The Man (73.50). Not too surprisingly, the winning black gelding is by Creevagh Ferro out of the 2007 Cavaliere mare GHS Coral Springs who, in turn, was out of a mare by the thoroughbred Saracen Hill.

Although well marked by the other two judges, Ferros Aim, who was bred in Co Tyrone by GHS, owes this victory to his good jumping round over a course of show jumps and cross-country fences designed by Jenny and Harold Lusk. This travelled from the sand arena down to the water jump where there were half-a-dozen obstacles to be tackled.

This phase was judged by English visitor Christine Baker while dressage was assessed by Yvette Truesdale. Second (75.33) was the Rachel McKimmon-partnered Oke Ruby R, a brown mare by Namelus R, who was bred by her Co Tyrone owner, Martina McCrory.

Halliday also had two rides in the five-year-old section, his better score of 75.33 seeing him finish second with Orlagh Kelly’s home-bred Lucidam (by Luidam) who did a small bit of show jumping last year. His second mount, Sandra Hamilton’s Nazar gelding Impy Diamond, finished fifth (71.17) having topped the conformation and type marks of Tim Martin.

The comfortable winner here, on a score of 79.67%, was the Mermus R gelding Meranti who was ridden by Emily Corbett for Graham McIntyre. The roan, who was bred in Co Donegal by Ken and Gena Porter, is out of the Loch Cruise mare Sante Cruise, a full-sister to the international two-star eventer DHI Ballybrack Dakota. Meranti, who had finished second at the Gransha qualifier, topped the marks in all but the conformation phase on Tuesday.

Jonny Mulligan finished third here with the Carrick Diamond Lad gelding Carrick Diamond Showman (73.33) who is owned by one of the driving forces behind the Balmoral young event horse championships, Adrienne Stuart. It’s a great pity that her efforts – and those of the qualifying venue owners – aren’t better rewarded by larger entries. However, to attract competitors up from the south, good prize-money really has to be on offer for each leg of the series.

The finals of the championships take place on the afternoon of Thursday, May 11th, and the morning of Friday, May 12th, at Balmoral Show.