THERE was some strong competition among the underage riders at the Lightsource Tyrella 1 event last Saturday with 21 combinations coming before Martina McKinley in the EI110 (J) class.

Lucy McIlroy held a clear lead (26.3 penalties) after dressage but dropped to fourth when Major Black lowered two of the coloured poles. This left the class at the mercy of Jennifer Kuehnle who completed on her flat work mark (31.5) with her father Hans’s Polly Blue Eyes.

The 11-year-old German Warmblood mare, who is by the thoroughbred Concinales, a son of Acatenango, joined the Co Laois rider halfway through last season, winning an EI100 (J) first time out at Crecora (2). All but two of the starters were clear across the country, that pair being eliminated for missing fences.

At the same level, the pony riders also had little difficulty on their final phase but only four of the 12 managed to show jump clear. The winner here was Tipperary’s Olivia Swan who, on board her mother Carol’s nine-year-old Newtown Pedro gelding, Rockon Pedro, was the only one to complete on her dressage score (34.5).

Some new combinations appeared in the 24-strong EI100 (J) class and the honours went to one of these, Chloe Fagan and the well-known 15-year-old Templebready Fear Bui gelding Versace Biscuit, who too ended the day on their first phase mark (25.8). The Co Westmeath pairing won narrowly from Robyn McKenna and the former show horse Garveys Joy who had one outing together last season.

Having been in Gransha EC seven days earlier for the Sports Pony Challenge where they won the 133cms section, Co Carlow owner Jane Hancock and daughter Tiggy were on their travels again last weekend but, in the EI100 (P) at Tyrella, they had to settle for second and third with Corries Whiskey (24.8) and Coppenagh Spring Sparrow (26).

Recording her first EI success on her winning dressage score (23.3) was Killinchy’s Charlotte Keers on board her mother Andrea’s seven-year-old Connemara gelding Western Ocala. The grey, who had plenty of placings on his CV over the past two seasons, is by Creemully Western Melody and was bred in Co Galway by Michael Mitchell out of the Smokey Duncan mare Western Princess.

Abby Cummiskey, who won the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series at The Meadows on Cindy Cunningham’s CSC Apache Dove, made a brilliant start to her Eventing Ireland career when guiding that 10-year-old appaloosa mare to an all-the-way success in the nine-runner EI90 (P) class on Saturday.