NOT too surprisingly, the first of our Olympians back into competitive action was Sarah Ennis but it was a surprise that she brought just one horse down to Hillcrest last Sunday, the EI115 winner, Action Lady M.

Having arrived home from Tokyo near midnight on Wednesday, Ennis worked long and hard through Thursday, Friday and Saturday, leaving her Batterstown yard at 5.30am on Sunday on a mission with the Susanne Macken-bred seven-year-old Plot Blue mare.

“The aim is to qualify her for Le Lion and, to do that, we have to first qualify for Millstreet,” explained Ennis. “As I don’t know what Necarne (today) will be like, I decided it would be better to go to some place that I do know well and I was delighted that the mare won here – despite having a pole down.

“I have her and four others entered for Necarne – which is more like a normal day for me – and having been away for so long I’ve a lot of catching up to do with my young horses, getting them out jumping and eventing. However, it’s going to be strange on Tuesday as I’ve nothing for the young event horse finals at Lambertstown!”

There were no problems in jumping on the cross-country course for the 12 starters in Saturday’s EI115 but, like Ennis and Lady Action M, six combinations lowered at least one fence on the Tony Hurley-designed show jumping track. Among those who didn’t was Sian Coleman and, while she did pick up two time penalties on the final leg, she finished second with Caroline Colthurst’s six-year-old Blarney Monbeg Pepper (33.4).

All-the-way success

Darragh Byrne recorded an uncontested win in the EI115 (Open) on Kilcannon Ramiro and, with one pole down, finished fourth in the EI110 on his other ride for the day, TC Spirit Bounce (33.3).

There was a deserved all-the-way success in this 17-runner class for Aoife Goodwin-Boers and Sherwater (27.5) who had been leading after dressage and show jumping in the CCI1*-Intro at Kilguilkey House International (2) the previous weekend only to fall foul of the clock on the final leg – as did every other combination. Goodwin-Boers and her mother Veronica’s 13-year-old Jack Of Diamonds gelding are competing at Kilguilkey again today but making their debut at EI115 level.

Also completing on their first phases scores to finish second and third were Alex Donohoe with Cydonia Frankly Cruising (31.3) and Fraser Duffy on Fernhill DOS Spideog (32.8). It was Duffy’s first ride in public on Carol Gee’s Sibon W gelding who had won in similar company at Kilguilkey (2) under Luca Bortolamei.

Michael Ryan won the three-runner EI110 (Open) with Nick Pomeroy’s seven-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding Claragh Olara (28.3); best of the four who recorded double clears inside the time in the seven-strong EI110 (J) was Isobelle Tunney on her father Seamus’s 12-year-old Tabasco Van Erpekom gelding Cashelard Eurostar (35); and, although marginally last of the four starters in the EI110 (P) after dressage, Kate Fahey was the only one to finish on her first phase score and win with her mother Ber’s 13-year-old gelding, I Cant Believe It (33).

Final event

Rodney O’Donnell, cross-country course designer and joint-host with his wife Beth of the Hillcrest events, was pleased that the rain held off for most of the day and that the ground held up for this fourth and final Eventing Ireland ‘one-day’ of the season.

“I’m glad to see the back of those Covid-restricted events over two-days,” said O’Donnell. “It’s hard enough to get volunteers but it was a real struggle for those two-day fixtures. Hopefully, everything, including prize-money, will be back to normal next season.

“We’ve had a busy year as we started off with some Horse Sport Ireland-sanctioned unaffiliated events and training days but you need to be putting on plenty of competitions if you want to keep the place going. It was a pity that numbers were down for Sunday and we were saved by the fact that events were opened up to day-ticket holders and that the EI80 attracted a good entry.”

The O’Donnells repaid their much-appreciated volunteers by offering them, or family members, “a selection of treats” such as group cross-country lessons or entry to one of the unaffiliated events.