“HE’s one in a million,” was Sarah Ennis’s comment following her victory in Section B of the Kingsfield Haylage CNC* at Tyrella (1) on Saturday with the highly-regarded Cooley Cosmopolitan Diamond, a Canturo gelding who first came to prominence in young event horse classes last year.

Second on his novice debut at Ballindenisk six days earlier, the bay completed on his third-placed dressage score (31) leaving Ennis, another competing at Belton this weekend, in a bit of a quandary as regards the promising six-year-old’s immediate future. “I don’t want him to get too many points too quickly so I may just stick to show jumping with him for the present,” stated the owner/rider.

Bred by Kildare veterinary surgeon Katy Murphy, Cooley Cosmopolitan Diamond is out of the Master Imp mare BM Barbie Doll.

With the only other double clear inside the time, Steven Smith finished second with Michel M (32.5), on whom he was sitting up for the first time in public, and the Gilford rider also filled the runner-up slot in Section A with the Ballindenisk winner Springheeled (29.3), again with one of only two clears inside the time.

Here, the honours also went to a Co Meath rider in Michael McNally who won with Eclipto (28.5), a tall Cavalier Carnival gelding who has been brought along slowly. The bay, who was placed twice in three novice outings last season, was bred in Co Tipperary by Jackson Goulding out of the Puissance mare Tawna Jane.

Smith was leading after dressage and show jumping with Hi Happy Harry (28) but jumped the wrong ‘A’ element of the fence poles at 12, as did brother Trevor in Section B where he was well-placed on Ballyartan Contessa (31.3)!

Making his first appearance under Eventing Ireland rules since the end of July 2015, Glenkeeran River finished second (41.6) in the O/CNC* behind Patricia Ryan on Carol and Tom Henry’s Ghareeb gelding Ballylynch Brian Boru who added 8.4 cross-country time penalties to his first phase score of 32.5.

Ryan and husband Michael had travelled up to Tyrella on Friday and we can expect them to become more acquainted with the road north from Bandon as there are fewer national events than usual down south this spring.

The CNCJ* was so popular that it too was divided, Section A seeing the good run of EI president Jessie Harrington continue as her Jantar won under Beckie Coonan. One of three combinations to complete on their dressage score (32.3), the Kildare pairing finished bang on the optimum time of 5.30m.

Co Westmeath’s Sofie Walshe recorded the only double clear inside the time to win Section B on 30.3 with her mother Charlie’s much-admired thoroughbred Kinsau. Walshe and the eight-year-old Indian Danehill gelding, who scored twice at this level last season, have to miss today’s action, as the rider concentrates on Leaving Certificate orals, but are entered up for Lisgarvan next Sunday.

Another Kildare rider to get her timing spot-on was Hannah Adams who claimed the CNCP** on her dressage score of 35.8 with her father Michael’s Connemara gelding Myshall Rodge, an 11-year-old by Coosheen Thyme.

Jennifer Kuehnle held a commanding lead after the flat work phase with the Ballindenisk winner Timbacktoo (24) but had a pole down show jumping and, following a stop at the natural hollow at three (where the water-filled ditch caught out a few pedestrians), took her time across the country.