WITH Sarah Ennis competing in England last Saturday, others had a chance to win the two CNC* classes but, disappointingly for her, not Emily Corbett who, on her return home for the weekend, was pipped to the post in both divisions.

In Section A, where she completed on her dressage score of 33.3 with Carol Gee’s 10-year-old Limmerick gelding Kanny Diamond, Corbett had to give best to the flat phase winners, Nicola Ennis and Laura Glynn’s home-bred Killossery Kredit Krunch (32).

“I really like this fellow,” commented Ennis of the Out Of Touch six-year-old. “He’s a nice, big horse who will probably take a while to mature. Laura’s daughter Sara rode him last year but she is too busy with work to produce him properly. He did his first novice at Ballindenisk where he was a bit shellshocked but he’s a quick learner and I’m pleased with his progress.”

Sounding just like racing commentator Ted Walsh, Ennis added: “I rode his mother. She (Killossery Robins Nest, by Master Imp) was a good mare who I rode as a six-year-old at Le Lion.

“I like the way the course designer has gone about building for Tyrella. Last week was really good as an opener and today, he produced a lovely track as well. Of course, being Tyrella, the ground was perfect.”

Corbett also finished sixth on Tomgar Kaleidoscope whose total of 36.3 included four show jumping penalties. She had two rides as well in Section B where in both instances she completed on her flat work scores, placing fourth on Fernhill Fair Enough (32.3) and second with Fernhill Razmataz (30.5), a nine-year-old bay gelding by Ghareeb.

Here, the all-the-way winners in spite of 2.8 cross-country time penalties were Luke Drea and Avoca Druid (29.3), an eye-catching grey who was scoring for the first time under Evening Ireland rules on his first outing of the season.

A seven-year-old by Kings Masters, the gelding was bred in Co Wicklow by Christine Banks out of her Frankfort Boy mare Knockanree Nell, dam also of the three-star eventer Avoca Alibi (by Radolin) and of the international show jumpers Avoca Valkyrie (Touchdown) and Knockanree Diamond (Glidawn Diamond).

There were 15 starters in the CNCJ1* but only one horse counted with Charlotte Dixon recording a runaway victory on her mother Barbara’s Fernando. The combination completed on the score of 18.8 penalties which they were awarded by dressage judge Pat Ryan.

Fernando, a 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding previously ridden by Steven Smith, was having his second EI start under Dixon, the pair having finished 10th in the EI 100J class here the previous Saturday.

That Junior class was won last weekend by Hannah Blakely and her mother Mandy’s 10-year-old bay mare Kizzy, the pair ending the day on their winning first phase score of 21.5.

The 30-runner open EI 100 class fell to Lesley Webb and Yvonne Pearson’s 12-year-old Ricardo Z gelding Double Take who completed on their winning dressage score of 27 penalties.

Supreme hunter champion at the RDS as a four-year-old and a top-class working hunter, the bay, who was bred in Co Waterford by James Cliffe, was third on his only previous start under EI rules. That was at EI 90 level at Dromiskin in September 2008.

Lisa Dundee led Saturday’s Lafarge Tarmac EI 90 class after dressage (27.8) on board Hilary Redmond’s six-year-old Luidam gelding Pulldoaran but dropped to third with a fence down show jumping.

Moving up to first was India Ryan with Garrybritt Emma (30) who had finished fourth the previous weekend. The six-year-old Ramiro B mare was bred by Terry White and is the last foal out of the point-to-point-winning Satin Emma (by Celio Rufo). Her first was the Tannenhofs Carmelito S gelding Dunnes Hill who Captain Terence White competed up to international two-star level.

The pair were split by Catherine Robinson and Shanroe Shadowfax (30.8), a five-year-old by Cavaliers Land out of a Cruisings Ambassador mare.

Newtown Westie won for the first time at Tyrella since 2011 when landing the CNCP** class under owner Jane Hancock’s daughter Lucy. The 17-year-old Connemara by Westside Mirah, who completed on his winning flat work score of 30.3, had shown himself in good form for the season when second at Ballinagore.

In spite of a pole down show jumping, Jessica Kuehnle held on to land the EI 100P class on a total of 33 with Michelle Kenny’s Dutch-bred Lightning. The eight-year-old gelding, who is hard to miss being a flashy palomino, is a son of the Dutch riding pony stallion Le Matsjo.

Top hunter pony rider Sacha Bloch made a brief foray into the eventing world in 2013 with the wonderful Inspector Morse and returned last Saturday to claim the EI90P class on her dressage score (31.3) with her mother Julia’s Connemara Highburren Mist, a 2008 Oisin gelding.