TIME proved to be an issue with the pre-novice track with only one combination beating the clock in the five classes contested over it.

Camilla Speirs got a good rhythm going with her mother Bridget’s BT Bentley in the Stonebridge Feeds Pre-Novice Section A. The five-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding, who picked up four time penalties on the final leg, completed on 35.5 to narrowly see off Padraig Flanagan and Lu Ca who finished on 35.6 having led after dressage on 28. There was also a very close result in Section B which was sponsored by Centra. Here the winners were Gavin Ryan with the home-bred five-year-old Riyalan gelding Dear Robin who picked up 2.8 time penalties over the fixed fences to complete on 29.3. Neilus O’Donoghue finished just outside the time (0.4) to fill second place with Cruising Well (29.4).

Heidi Hamilton led after the first two phases with All Torque (24) but withdrew the Monart Sale-bound Ricardo Z gelding before cross-country.

Having won the previous weekend at Kilmanahan, local rider Mimi O’Grady had to settle for third place with Rosog Rusty (39) in the CNCP1* behind Lucy O’Donnell and Mary Smiddy who shared the lead after dressage on 30 penalties. The former, who was runner-up at Kilmanahan on her first EI start, was the faster of the pair across the country, picking up 6.8 time penalties with Highbury Lad on whom she had a lot of success in Irish Pony Club events as a member of the Tipperary Branch. Smiddy completed on 37.6 with Midnight Cruiser.

Riding for Carol Gee, Eleanor Cunningham led after dressage (24) in the Junior C with Limmerick Light and managed to hold on to win in spite of lowering one of the coloured poles and picking up six cross-country time penalties with the 11-year-old Limmerick gelding.

Laura Dennehy and the Connemara mare Templebready Anna won the Pony C on their second EI start together when adding 0.8 of a time penalty across the country to their flat work mark of 29.5.