THE second of two Flexi Eventing competitions organised by the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland was held last Saturday at The Meadows Equestrian Centre where, again, the dressage phase took place on grass.
On a day dominated by female riders, young Ben Foster from Carrickfergus did his bit for the men when landing the 43-runner Intro class on Anita Doherty’s Fitz (76.3%) who, at the age of 20, is seven years older than his delighted partner.
Judge Lucinda Webb-Graham reserved her next best score, 73.5, for 16-year-old Kate McLaughlin, riding her mother Judith’s 12-year-old skewbald gelding, Killeaney Mist, while placing third was another young rider, Anya Teuton, who scored 73 with her mother Victoria’s Painted Cavalier, a 15-year-old piebald gelding by Cavalier Two For Joy.
Foster, who has been riding for nine years, keeps his pony locally with Tom and Anita Doherty at their Farmhill Stables. He started competing Fitz at the start of this curtailed season and he and the 16.3hh bay gelding quickly gelled as a combination as they won the Junior 75/80cms class at the Northern Region’s two-phase competition at Tyrella in mid-March, just before the lockdown commenced.
Foster is extremely appreciative of being given the opportunity to compete Fitz and all the coaching and support he has received from the Dohertys. A member of the East Antrim Branch of The Pony Club, Ben also welcomed the sponsorship of Saturday’s prizes by Judy Maxwell of Baileys Horse Feeds.
Thirty-five combinations came before Vanda Stewart in the Pre-Novice class where, for the second week in succession, Kerry Magill had to settle for the runner-up spot with her mother Kay’s Bonmahon Quick Step (71.5%).
The winner on this occasion was Caoimhe Crozier riding the Connemara gelding Kildromin Banjo who topped the scoring on 72.8. Successful and placed many times last season at EI110 (P) level, the Christine Crozier-owned grey seven-year-old is by Glendine Kestrel and was bred in Kilteely, Co Limerick by Patrick Hayes out of the Ashfield Jovial Joker mare, Newtown Heather.
Janet Hall judged the higher-graded classes in the dressage phase.
Ella Boyle riding Vogue, winners of the Novice Dressage at the Flexi Eventing (2) at The Meadows \ Tori O'Connor
Win for Boyle
The larger of the two entries was in the Novice division where Ella Boyle came out on top with the eye-catching grey WKD Cooley (76.3%), a 10-year-old by Contador, while she finished equal fourth on Denali (68.3). Both mares are owned by the rider’s mother, Amanda. Alex Houston slotted into second on Skyfall Echo (74.8) with Janie Cairns placing third on Ronnie (72.3) and joint-fourth on Premier Charlie.
Like others, Boyle has had to rethink her schedule for the remainder of the year for all her mounts but she is particularly disappointed that plans for the German-bred Denali have been thrown into disarray. The 2013 Dubarry mare, who is a recent addition to Boyle’s string was campaigned for the past two years by Britain’s Sara Squires.
“Annoyingly, we are going to miss the age classes with her now,” Boyle said of the Hanoverian bay who has 29 British Eventing points and 161 British Dressage points. “As for WKD Cooley and the others, we’re just going to have to see how things develop with all the uncertainty of where’s going to run and the tight entries. The plan would be to get out and get going with the aim of taking in an international or two before the end of the year. Then, they will probably do a lot more jumping than usual over the winter.”
Houston tried to follow up her win of the previous weekend in the Intermediate with Skyfall Echo but she and her 12-year-old Clover Echo mare, who scored 75%, had the tables turned on them by Katie Riley and her mother Sarah’s seven-year-old OBOS Quality 004 mare, Miss Matana (76.6). “I’ve no definite plans for ‘Molly’ at the moment,” said the winning rider who expressed herself “glad to be out again,” with the bay who amassed 19 Eventing Ireland points last season under Steven Smith when Riley was at university in Oxford.
While the efforts of the organisers, judges, course builders, stewards, etc over the two weeks of the mini-series were appreciated by all, we must give special mention to Fiona Boal who has taken on the role of the region’s Covid-19 compliance officer.
Ally Wilson riding Parker, clear in the 1.10m at the Flexi Eventing (2) at The Meadows EC \ Tori O'Connor
Upcoming action
Today, the Northern Region is staging a Derby at the Stevenson family’s Tullylish, near Gilford, while this day week, Saturday, July 11th, it’s running a two-phase event at the Pele family’s Lisbane Farm near Saintfield. There are four classes on the schedule from 80cms to 1.10m. The eventing season proper in the Region is due to commence at Tullylish on Saturday, July 25th.