Tredstep Ireland EI 100

NEW Zealand native Amanda Goldsbury had two rides at last weekend’s Horse Sport Ireland Eventing Ireland National Championships in Lisgarvan, finishing fourth, on her dressage score, with the Connemara pony Tullaree Ruby Tuesday in the EI110 before partnering the 143cms Comberton Coda to victory in the EI100 National Championship.

Here, too, the Co Meath-based Goldsbury completed on her flat work mark (26.2) but this time she led from start to finish on Janet Williamson’s British-bred mare, an eight-year-old by the coloured German Warmblood stallion Stanhopes Diddicoy out of Comberton Carmell (by Chiddock Time Limit). Terence White finished second on the unraced home-bred thoroughbred Garrybritt Susie (31.5) while the very much in-form Ian Cassells was third with BDE Olympic Royale.

Sunday’s cross-country phase didn’t have a huge effect on the results apart from elimination of the 12-year-old Cyrano gelding Sir Barnabus whose rider, Elaine O’Connor, will have been kicking herself as, going into the phase on a score of 30.5, she left out a fence.

Comberton Coda, who was campaigned in Britain some years back in eventing and working hunters by Alice Homer, was ridden exclusively last year by Josh Williamson who began sharing the ride with Goldsbury at the start this season and it was she who qualified the Comberton Stud-bred bay for Lisgarvan.

Four rides

Goldsbury has four rides today at Knockany and three next week at Ballindenisk including the aforementioned Tullaree Ruby Tuesday in the CCI2*-S.

Laura Birley and Richard Ames’s Belline Rock Trend, who had finished third in their three previous EI90 starts, recorded an all-the-way win on 27.6 penalties in the Eventing Ireland EI90 national championship.

Both Heidi Hamilton, on The Sequel, and Bridget MacAuley riding Zena Rising, completed on 29.5 with MacAuley having to settle for third as her total included 1.6 cross-country time penalties. Tuula Keary had an expensive fence down show jumping with Kilcorban Firefly which dropped them to seventh on 32.8.

This was a first EI win for Britain’s Birley who joined Richard and Tanja Ames’s Belline Estate Equestrian at the start of the year. She was second in the earlier EI110 on Ames’s six-year-old Freeman VDL gelding Fighting Spirit who she rides in the CCI2*-L next week at Ballindenisk.

Belline Rock Trend, a five-year-old mare by Future Trend, was bred in Co Cork by Kieran Fahy out of the Vechta mare Billy Rock.