Margie McLoone

THE showing world was buzzing on Wednesday when last year’s RDS supreme youngstock champion, Notalot, made a winning competition debut at Wexford Equestrian.

The much-beribboned, multi-titled bay now carries the Ballykelly prefix of Drinagh owner Margaret Jeffares who purchased the daughter of Lancelot shortly after her Dublin victory from lifelong friend Rebecca Monahan with whom she grew up in Co Clare.

Having her mare compete in this opening leg of the 2016 Stepping Stones to Success League was far from Jeffares’s thoughts a month ago.

“I think this win silenced a lot of the sceptics who think show horses can’t jump,” said Jeffares who was in constant mobile communication all day with Rebecca, husband Des and her father Tom Frost from whom she inherited her love of showing. “Often in-hand fillies are retired straight to stud without being tested in competition but that’s the only way that they can be judged.

“This mare had never seen a pole before we got her from Rebecca but she just loves jumping, would jump all day and everyone could see how happy she was in her round today. Ann Lambert broke her at Christmas time after which she had a few weeks off. For the last month, the mare was being ridden by Ann’s sister Clare but she went to India on holiday so we persuaded Ann to compete today and what a result!

“We will definitely keep going with her in this series and hopefully go on from there. Living near the Lamberts is a real bonus as they are both two good girls to do horses properly. They don’t let the horses take liberties but they are not hard on them either. Rebecca of course had produced the mare to perfection over the past three years.

“Tiernan Gill made a brave decision when placing her above the geldings in the All-Ireland three-year-old championship at Bannow last July as did the two English judges (Amanda Brudenell and Gill Richardson) when making her supreme at Dublin the following month.

“The only horse to have beaten Notalot in the show ring was my own home-bred Ballykelly Empress (by Emperor Augustus) who stood ahead of her in the All-Ireland two-year-old fillies’ championship at Kildysart in 2014. Empress is also coming out under saddle this season and will be shown as a lightweight hunter by Jane Bradbury.”

Wexford Equestrian’s Orla Roche and Pat Peare were delighted to see such good support on Wednesday, particularly from northern exhibitors who failed to notch up a win but were well placed.

Emma Jackson led the four-year-old class after Anne Marie Dunphy’s judging of the dressage phase with Ferros Kandy (57) and while that Creevagh Ferro gelding failed to match his flat performance in the Derby arena, she had a back-up in the OBOS Quality 004 gelding Carra Lux Quality who completed on a total of 222 points for second.

Although only scoring 49 points for her work on the level, Ballykelly Notalot fared best of the 27 horses forward in the second phase when guest jumping assessor George Chapman and Stepping Stones main judge Ian Fearon awarded her their top combined marks of 177.

Ballykelly Notalot was bred near Kilrush by James Wallace out of the Cavalier Royale mare Clooneen Cavalier Countessa. The Ciara Marron-bred Carra Lux Quality is out of a Lux Z mare who comes from the family of the five-star show jumper A Touch Imperious among others.

Sarah Ennis rode two horses in the Shires Equestrian Products five-year-old section, finishing third on Alice Kehoe’s home-bred Westwinds Navigator (by Ramiro B), winner of the four-year-old final here last spring, and winning with her husband Niki Potterton’s Cooley Cosmopolitan Diamond.

The latter, a bay gelding by Canturo, shared the lead on 60 points after dressage with Carol Gee’s eye-catching Vingino grey Gipsy King (Tracy Walshe) who is out of a Calvados dam. However, over the Dereck Hamilton-designed track in the Derby arena of six show jumps and 10 cross-country fences, Ennis’s mount scored the higher, 178 points to 175.

GOOD FAMILY

Bred in Co Meath by Katy Murphy, the winner is out of the Master Imp mare BM Barbie Doll who comes from the family of a former Ennis three-star ride BLM Diamond Delux.

Ennis said she would possibly take Cooley Cosmopolitan on the eventing circuit but may do more age classes with him both in eventing and show jumping. He competed at the Cavan Indoor International last year and at the Irish Breeders’ Classic in Barnadown.

While it was windy and cold at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday, for some, the journey was extra rewarding as the first five horses in both classes have qualified for the Knotts Bakery young event horse classes at next month’s Balmoral Show.