THERE were changes made to the lay-out and cross-country course at the Campbell Family’s Dirraw Farm since the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland last visited the Finvoy venue in May 2016.

On arrival, turning in from Dirraw Road, drivers were directed straight into a new parking area on the left. Slightly beyond the halfway point on all tracks, the course followed that of previous years but from there it ran around the perimeter of the farm down to the Dirraw Road before turning back up towards the yard and finish. Show jumping took place in the field beyond the yard and proved very influential.

Running against an international is never ideal, even if at the opposite end of the country, and, while understandable, it was a pity that so few entered what turned into one two-star class with just six combinations listed in the O/CNC2* and only five starting.

Of that quintet, Lucy Lamont and Mellow Gold parted company at the water at eight, while Sadhbh McGrath and Bridgemans Cocoa Malt, on their first two-star start since October 2016, and Josephine Pollock with Master Gold Touch, who were making their intermediate debut as a combination, picked up 20 jumping penalties at the corner at five.

Topping the scores after dressage on 32.3, Katie Riley and Versace Biscuit fell behind Declan Cullen and Keonan Hero (32.7) who were faster across the country. However, the new leaders accumulated 12 jumping penalties for a total of 55.5, while Riley and her 14-year-old Templebready Fear Bui gelding recorded the only show jumping clear in the class for a completion score of 45.5.

On the mark in the CNCJ1* at Kircubbin seven days earlier and in the CCIJ1* at Tattersalls, Riley has Versace Biscuit entered for Loughanmore today and plans to take him to the National Championships in Kilguilkey – if he has not been sold.

ON THE MARKET

“After much deliberation, we have just put Bics on the market,” commented Riley. “He’s on great form and we want him to go to a very special home to be a horse of a lifetime for someone else and, hopefully, represent Ireland again sometime in the future. We would love him to stay in Ireland if possible. I’m looking forward to studying veterinary at Cambridge in October but will be back to do a bit of eventing in the holidays.”

Versace Biscuit is out of the thoroughbred mare Olga Poloski (by Moscow Society) and thus a half-brother to the Grange Finian Sparrow-sired pair of Grange Red Sparrow (2012) and Grange Ash Sparrow (2013) who, ridden by their Co Meath owner Orla Cassidy, were among the 17 starters in Saturday’s CNC1* class.

Both were well-placed after dressage but the older of the pair was eliminated when jumping the wrong fence 13 while, with a fence down show jumping and 11.6 cross-country time penalties, Grange Ash Sparrow finished fourth on 45.9.

TAKING A TOLL

As throughout the day, the show jumping phase had its effect with just two combinations leaving all the fences intact. Aoife Quigley did so with Castletown Lux For Joy but added a time penalty to her dressage score of 33 before picking up 10.4 across the country to finish third.

Bidding to double up on their Kircubbin success, Tori Dixon and Mawillan led following the first phase on a good score of 27.3. They would have had enough in hand to win despite lowering two of the coloured poles but 0.8 of a time penalty on the final leg proved costly and they had to settle for second behind Adam Haugh and Greenhall Vivendi Cruz whose total of 36, on her third novice start, included four show jumping penalties.

Haugh came in the for the ride on Neil McCluskey’s six-year-old Ars Vivendi mare as regular partner, Catherine Robinson, who finished fourth on the bay at Tattersalls, was competing at Millstreet.

“She’ll hopefully do the CIC1* at Ballindenisk,” said McCluskey of Greenhall Vivendi Cruz who won an EI100 at Annaharvey in June. To no surprise, the bay was bred in Co Wicklow by Derry Rothwell out of the Cruising mare Greenhall Dot whose own dam is the Rothwell family’s great matron Greenhall Cailin Deas. As a foal, Greenhall Vivendi Cruz was shown with her dam to win the Breeders’ Championship at the RDS where she was third as a yearling.

On just their fourth start of the year, all in August, Conall McGrath secured victory in the fiver-runner CNCJ1* by going clear inside the time across the country with his mother Rosalyn’s BLS Linvara.

The Banbridge combination was marginally last following the first phase (44.8) and then picked up 12 show jumping penalties. However, the dressage winners, Hannah Adams and Milchem Ardeo (36.3) accumulated 16 penalties over the coloured poles plus 4.8 for time on the final leg for a total of 57.1, just ahead of Cathal Mitchell with Vigo Sun Light (58.2).

Hollie Smith’s cross-country round ended early as she jumped the wrong fence one (Finvoy Tyres) with Anvil Lodge Pinnochio while Katherine Shields, who, despite one pole down, led after show jumping with Melody Maker (40.8), only got as far as fence three (the hay rack) where her mount downed tools.

Grace Adams and Myshall Rodge won for the fifth time in a row but their victory in the CNCP2* was uncontested.