Margie McLoone

SARAH Ennis had five horses to ride at Killossery Lodge Stud last Sunday but, with this event being one of the closest to her Stellor Sport Horses yard outside Batterstown, at least she got home a bit earlier than usual.

Four of her mounts were in the CNC* classes where the divide could have gone more in her favour as she finished first and second in Section A and fifth and sixth in Section B. Her winner was her own six-year-old Garrison Royal gelding Woodcourt Garrison, successful earlier in the year at Tyrella (1), with whom she completed on her dressage score of 27 penalties.

On his second start at this level, Duke Of Chester filled the runner-up spot on 30.5, in spite of the addition of two show jumping time penalties, while the Section A dressage winner (25.8), the Louise Bloomer-partnered Cavamiro, dropped to third with the addition of 4.8 cross-country time penalties on his return to one-star competition.

Cavamiro is competing in this weekend’s Cooley Farm CCI* for young horses at Tattersalls and ahead of a big week for Richard and Georgina Sheane’s Co Wicklow enterprise, their MJI Cooley Just The Ticket won Section B under Katie O’Sullivan.

Here dressage judge Yvonne Monahan, who always uses the full range of marks at her disposal, had the S Creevagh Ferro nine-year-old on 18 penalties, four points clear of his nearest rival, the 12-year-old New Zealand thoroughbred Ardeo Design (Melanie Wrynn). The latter, a winner at this venue last season when campaigned under the name Mister Pinch, fell further behind with a fence down show jumping and, with time penalties on both legs, finished second on 33. MJI Cooley Just The Ticket also fell foul of the clock in the two jumping phases but only slightly for a completion score of 20.2.

The winner, who competed in England for the past two seasons and was having his third EI run on Saturday, was bred by Joanne Jarden out of the 1991 Seamanship mare Sarah Janes Melody.

Antonia Ward’s owner-ridden Clonguish Flash was another to complete a Killossery double when landing the open novice on his first phase score of 29 penalties.

Riding her mother Mandy’s 10-year-old bay mare Kizzy, Lisburn’s Hannah Blakely nearly mirrored that victory in the CNCJ* but for the addition of 0.8 of a time penalty on the final leg.

The seven-runner EI 100J class was pretty much a dressage test with Jessica Kuehnle leading from start to finish to complete on 28.5 with Mooney Amach. This was a first win under rules for Bryan Maguire’s seven-year-old Cult Hero gelding, a full-brother to Be My Hero, Bay My Hero, etc.

Kuehnle was out of luck in EI 100P class with Golden Grove Solitaire who led after the flat work phase (31) but then finished last of the four runners when picking up 20 jumping penalties at fence three (Frankies House) on the final leg.

The honours went to Moone’s Megan Telford-Kelly who finished the day on her dressage mark of 35.3 with her mother Rosalind’s very consistent Connemara Fond Of A Drop, a nine-year-old gelding by Ashfield Storm Cloud out of an Oisin mare.

Another Connemara on the mark on Saturday was Rosemary Hedigan’s Starsky nine-year-old Teach Mor Sean who completed on his first phase score of 28 penalties under Heidi Hamilton to land Section A of the TRI Equestrian EI 100 class.

Best of the younger horses was the Tinaranas Inspector five-year-old Rehy DJ who has been successfully campaigned in young event horse classes this season. He finished fourth (29.3) under owner Aoife Quigley who was returning to EI competition following a break of six years.

SPOILED

A fence down show jumping spoiled the chances of the dressage winner (26.5), the Stacy Watling-ridden British Sport Horse mare My Wee Shoogle. This seven-year-old by Gibside Mr Chips won a BE 90 class last season and was placed in similar company.

It was good to see two five-year-olds at the top of Section B where the John Bannon-owned and ridden Call It Magic finished on his winning flat work score of 18.5, less than one penalty point clear of Brianne Stanley and her well-bred Harlequin du Carel gelding Business Class.

The Ars Vivendi-sired winner, who Bannon purchased at the 2013 September sale at Goresbridge, was bred in Co Tipperary by Michael Quirke out of Olympics Corner. That Olympic Lux mare was dam previously of this fellow’s 2009 full-brother who show jumped here for a season under the name Quirky Bred but is now eventing in England as High Tech.

This is also the family of the three-star eventer TLB Internactive and the Grade C mare Lates du Carel who Francis Connors jumped last year in Lanaken.

There were 33 starters in the sole EI 90 class which was landed on his winning dressage score of 25.3 by the thoroughbred Ballybay Boy, ridden by Maghaberry-based Fiona Fitzgibbon for Sandra McGaffin.

Bred in Britain by Alfred Buller out of the Clerkenwell mare Silly Miss Off, the eight-year-old Millkom gelding was making his second EI appearance on Saturday but did compete three times last year in Britain. From the family of the Champion Hurdle-winning full-brothers Morley Street and Granville Again, he is ridden in Pony Club competitions by the owner’s children.

The EI 90P class also saw an all-the-way winning combination in Eabha Costello and Máire Springate’s good working hunter pony Killoughter Nugget who had been partnered by the rider’s cousin Shane Power to win the EI 100 class here last year.

Another pure-bred Connemara, Killoughter Nugget, a nine-year-old by Ashfield Romeo, who was purchased four years ago from Jim Winterbotham, will compete in IPC events over the summer with the owner’s son Cian.