IT was a good day for the de Montmorency family as, following Rose’s win in the junior one-star class, Toby Fynn partnered their Bungowla Rupert to victory in the EI100.

Like all others in the top six of this 22-runner class, the seven-year-old Arkan gelding completed on his first phase score (25.5) as the leader after dressage, the Commandant Terence White-ridden Swatch This (23.3), was eliminated in the grass show jumping arena. He was one of two horses in this class who just wouldn’t go anywhere near the double at four whatever caught their eye.

Bungowla Rupert appeared to appreciate dropping back to this grade as he had been eliminated on his two previous outings which had been at one-star level. The bay gelding, who was bred in Co Monaghan by Sean Duffy and is registered with the Anglo European Studbook, is out of the Abou Zouz mare Zouz Hill.

On just her third start under Eventing Ireland rules, Michelle Dunne recorded an impressive all-the-way victory in the EI100J class on A One Your Highness (21.8).

The 10-year-old thoroughbred mare was successfully campaigned at this level from 2013 to 2016 by Alison O’Neill but, under Dunne, spent last year representing the Bray Branch in Irish Pony Club activities, especially eventing. In early May, the combination was third in the IPC’s National Dressage Day Intermediate championships.

A One Your Highness is by High-Rise out of the unraced Ajraas mare Miss Broomfield who was a half-sister to six winners including Native Field (by By My Native) who won three bumpers and eight hurdle races.

Meath Pony Club member Nadine Dunne and Lucky Flash, who were runners-up here two weeks previously, won the EI00P class in which all four starters picked up four show jumping penalties.

Dunne was only second at this stage (36) but claimed the honours when the earlier leader, Grace Sandys, accumulated 10.4 cross-country time penalties with Kilcoole Patch to drop to fourth (44.2). Lucky Flash is a nine-year-old Connemara mare by Smokey Idea and was bred in Co Galway by Sinead Lusby-McGrath out of the Mac Owen mare Lucky Hazel.

FIRST EI WIN

After a very busy, and successful, National Hunt season, things have quietened down slightly in the Willie Mullins yard which has allowed Jason Dear plan some weekend outings with his new ride Miss Saulsford.

A quiet debut in the EI90 at Lisgarvan House (1) in late April was followed by a third-place finish here the last day when they rolled a pole. It was a case of the third time lucky on Sunday as they saw off 25 rivals to win on their dressage score (26.3), giving the rider his first Eventing Ireland success.

Johanna Herron and Solitaire Rusty Brown, who are both in their first season with Eventing Ireland, finished second (27.5) with James Phillips claiming third on newcomer Loughnatousa Milly (29.3). Izzy Cranston-Leadbitter led after dressage with Destination Street (25) but this 2013 gelding, who pulled up in two point-to-points earlier this year, had two stops at the water (16ab) on the final leg. On her second EI start, Sarah Anne Atkinson was eliminated for not wearing gloves in the dressage phase.

A five-year-old mare by the thoroughbred Nazar, Miss Saulsford was bred in Co Carlow by Dear and his fiancé Sandra Myers out of the Midnight King mare Ballydarton whose 2009 produce, Sir Saulsford Nazar, is competing in the USA.

One of Dear’s horses at Mullins’s Co Kilkenny yard was the great Djakadam whose retirement was announced by the trainer on June 6th.

Lucie Glynn posted an all-the-way success in the EI90P class on Bramblebrough Eoghan (24.3). This was a seventh start for the combination whose record now reads four wins, two second-place finishes and a technical elimination. Previously campaigned in Britain, the winner is a 10-year-old Connemara gelding by Kingstown Cavalier out of Peter O’Neill’s Sarsfield mare Cloosh Rose.