Joanne Corish celebrates her birthday in style with win aboard Lates Cavalier

JOANNE Corish celebrated her 23rd birthday in style at Rosanna last Saturday when she won the 14-strong EI110 on Lates Caralier who is owned by her father Thomas and her aunt, Noeleen Troy.

Off the pace after dressage, Corish and the seven-year-old Harlequin du Carel mare were clear in the two jumping phases, although picking up time faults in both for a total of 48.9 penalties.

Sam Watson finished second on the first of his two rides, Ballyneety Rocketman (51.7), who had a fence down show jumping and amassed the same number of cross-country time penalties as the winner, 9.2. However, the Carlow rider was eliminated when Ballybolger Anchorman fell at the Hanging Birch at six, while five other combinations retired on the final leg.

Corish and Lates Caralier are competing in the CCI2*-L at Millstreet this weekend with the plan being for the mare to move up to Intermediate in the next couple of weeks. It has been an exciting time of late for Corish who made her point-to-point debut at Ballingarry two weeks ago, finishing second in the ladies’ open, while she filled the same position last Sunday in a mares’ maiden at Grennan.

In both instances she rode her own French-bred Bonny Dazzler who is trained by Thomas.

Watson wasn’t long waiting for compensation as he landed Section B of the Gain Equine Nutrition EI100 with a comfortable all-the-way success on his wife Sparkles’ Grantstown Carisma (26). This mare, who has 24 Showjumping Ireland points, finished third at Frankfort Stud in April but had been withdrawn twice since then.

It has been some time since James O’Haire rode an EI90 winner but he did so here on Saturday when claiming Section A with a newcomer, Jamaica Rose (32).

The four-year-old Pointilliste mare was bred by her owner, Penny Guinness, out of the Don Juan de la Bouverie mare Nancy Belle (CCI3*-L).

There was a range between the Brona O’Mahony-awarded dressage marks in Section B with the lowest penalty score of 15.3 being earned by Victoria Scully riding her five-year-old Ringwood Cassero gelding Ringwood Calypso.

It was a long time between drinks for Scully whose only previous success under Eventing Ireland rules came in an EI90 (P) class at Ballinaclough in April 2009.