RECOGNISED as one of the most coveted of the young horse championships, this year’s Michael Leonard Memorial trophy went to Tracy Walshe and RLE Penhills Cougar. Rounding off a memorable month, in which she landed the Burghley Young Event horse title, Walshe delivered the only double clear round. As a result, the River Lodge Eventing rider forged her way to the top of the leaderboard, ahead of Maria Byrne in second with BGS Willpower and Camilla Speirs aboard Lukas.

The winning duo have developed a formidable partnership since they teamed up in May, and have only made one show jumping error in their 10 runs together. “We hadn’t done enough to make the cut for Le Lion d’Angers, but she’s been really consistent the whole way through,” said Walshe.

The daughter of Cougar was sourced from Gloucestershire-based producer Bernie Wharfe and, traditionally bred by Ann Doyle, is out of Ballymurphy Sarah (Laughtons Flight) who is a full-sister to the top-class show jumpers Mrs Quinn and Shannondale.

Unsurprisingly, the young horses struggled with the ground conditions in the show jumping. Cricket scores were the norm, but emerging with just one dropped rail apiece were the second and third-placed Maria Byrne (BGS Willpower) and Camilla Speirs with Lukas. The former, who is another of the Byrnes prolific home-breds, is from the same dam line as Maria’s good two-star horse BGS Juicy Fruits.

Holding on to third spot, Speirs was hampered by a handful of show jumping time faults, but was delighted with Louise Parkhill’s son of Lux Z who is heading for the Goresbridge Go For Gold sale in November. In this, their second outing together, the gelding impressed Speirs. “I was really happy with his dressage, as he was very rideable and has a great attitude. The show jumping was very testing, but he felt both careful and scopey, and was amazing in the country.”

It would have been a fairytale finish if Robbie Kearn’s could have claimed the trophy for owner and daughter of Michael Leonard, Ann O’Grady, but impressive as he was, two poles on the floor dropped Ballingowan Euphoria to fourth. The show jumping also proved costly for dressage leaders Daragh Byrne and Kilcannon Ramiro, who adding 12 penalties to their opening score, dropped down the order to sixth. Two stops at triple brush (14ab) ended the hopes of second-placed Sharon Power (SRS Mini Vendi), and also for Speirs, who walked home with BT Jump The Gun. These uncharacteristic errors for both horses, cannot have been helped by the ground.