THE Cooley Farm EI100 class for five and six-year-olds saw 31 starters come before John Lyttle whose judging of the dressage phase proved crucial with 17 combinations completing on their flat work marks; only two horses had a problem in jumping across the country.

Sponsor Richard Sheane was no doubt hoping that one of his own horses would top the leaderboard on Sunday, thus ensuring that he wouldn’t have to pay out the €1,000 bonus should the winner go on to land the Cooley Farms CNC1* class for the same age grouping at Rosanna (2) in July.

Sheane will have an anxious wait, however, as Sunday’s winner, Shannondale Icarus, has a trio of women behind him who would only be too happy to relieve the locally-based sponsor of his cash! They are owner Jinnie Webb, rider Louise Bloomer and the latter’s great supporter, her mother Jane.

The five-year-old Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan gelding took the honours on a score of 28.5 penalties ahead of Camilla Speirs and the Connemara/thoroughbred cross BT Jump The Gun (30) and Sam Watson with the Puissance gelding Ballybolger Journeyman (30.8). Best of the Cooley horses in fourth, under Katie O’Sullivan, was AKD Cooley Lockdown (31.3).

Having missed seeing her 2015 Goresbridge Go For Gold purchase wrap up the five-year-old Stepping Stones to Success league at Wexford Equestrian the previous Wednesday with a fourth victory in the series, Webb was delighted to have been present at Rosanna on Sunday – if only for the cross-country phase.

“It’s all very exciting!” said the delighted owner. “The horse is on a bit of break this week and next but, all being well, he will be aimed at the Dublin young event horse qualifiers and the Cooley class in July. This is a great incentive by Richard Sheane as it gives owners something to work towards. We have had plenty of offers for Icarus but he’s not for sale at the moment.”

In the Holmestead Saddlery open EI100 class, where there were four eliminations including one for a rider fall in dressage, Christopher Robin 2 picked up 1.6 cross-country time penalties but still recorded an all-the-way success (26.1). Patricia Heffernan’s seven-year-old son of Christoph Columbus was ridden, as usual, by Antonia Ward.

A good day for Northern Region riders continued in the EI100J where Herbie Purce finished on his flat work mark (27.8) to top the scoring with Mary Boyd’s Stan From Meelin. The 13-year-old chesnut gelding had been previously campaigned by the rider’s brother Toby (2013-2016) and, before that, by his sister Atalanta (2010-2013).

This was a third start for the combination who are due to compete at Punchestown tomorrow. Ruth MacDonald led after dressage (22.8) with Killoughey Clover Imp who dropped down the order with 12 show jumping penalties.

Victorious at Ballindenisk international the previous weekend with Rathnaleen Dark Secret, Ava Banahan maintained her good form when landing Sunday’s EI100P class with the first phase winner, Regent des Mauvis (33.3).

A new mount for Banahan this season, the 12-year-old black gelding represented The Netherlands at two European pony championships. The Kildare combination are moving up to two-star level tomorrow at Punchestown.

Stellor Skipon, who finished third in the Stepping Stones league and final behind Shannondale Icarus, made a successful Eventing Ireland debut when landing the 25-runner EI90 class on his flat work mark (29.5) ahead of the dressage winner (26), Castle Arkan, who picked up 4.8 cross-country time penalties.

Stellor Skipon, who was ridden by his owner Sarah Ennis, was bred by the Dublin Horse Show’s equestrian manager Fiona Sheridan out of an unraced Accordion mare. The grey is by the Sheridan family’s Irish Sport Horse stallion Chillout, a son of Abdullah.

A number of starters had problems on the cross-country phase in this class, notably the winner’s stable-companion Marbridge Diamond Imp, who only jumped the drop at eight on the third attempt, and the Stepping Stones eventing pony league winner Wolf Bitz who picked up 20 penalties at the preceding palisade.

Three horses were eliminated, two at the Holmestead Saddlery open ditch to roll top at four.

Young Alex Byrne recorded her second successive success in three outings under EI rules when claiming the EI90P class on her winning dressage score of 26.3 with her mother Debbie’s Connemara gelding Forest Lodge Rambler. The Co Antrim pairing is another due to compete at Punchestown tomorrow.