LOCAL rider Sarah Sproule recorded an all-the-way success at Loughanmore on Saturday when winning the CNC* class with Lyleview On Time, a horse she had been sent to produce for sale and ended up buying herself.

Although only 158cms, the 12-year-old black Goodtimes gelding is full of presence and, having been produced up to medium level by Lucinda Webb-Graham, is certainly one to catch the eye in the dressage phase. He did so again on Saturday, topping Janet Hall’s rankings on 24.3 penalties and remaining on that score until the end of the day. “I got the horse last October to do some show jumping with him in advance of being sold and liked him so much that I decided to buy him myself,” revealed Sproule who is about to start third year studying geography at Queen’s University. “He was actually bred to be a jumper, being a half-brother to the Grade A mare Carlyle’s Daughter (by Countach) and Lyleview Supreme (by Supreme Ginger) but just never grew. I plan to do Knockany and Scarvagh with Lyleview On Time and then he’ll be off for the winter so that I can concentrate on my other horse, River Diamond Rebel,” continued Sproule whose last EI win had also come at Loughanmore – in 2011. “I rode out for Colin McKeever, who trains Wilson Dennison’s point-to-point horses here, from November to May so you could say I know the lie of the land!”

Another to know the venue well is Dennison’s daughter Caroline. She finished fourth in the amateur one-star class on Mill Bay whose Neil Morrison-partnered half-brother Black Ice held on to second place in the CNC* on a total of 30 in spite of a pole down show jumping. Also owned by Dennison, the five-year-old Vechta gelding was having just his second EI start.

Co Kildare’s Camilla Speirs, who had a good trip north with her younger horses, won the two-runner open novice class with Sally Corscadden’s thoroughbred gelding Goldman, the Gold Well seven-year-old completing on his dressage score.

Chloe Rooney won the final leg of the Wilkie & Flanagan Solicitors CNCJ* league with her mother Yvonne’s nine-year-old brown mare Molly May. The Downpatrick rider completed on her dressage score of 33.8, ahead of Holly Wray, whose total of 37.9 on Lily Mae included 0.4 of a cross-country time penalty. Toby Purce, who led after the first phase on 28.3, dropped to third when picking up 12 show jumping penalties with Stan From Meelin.

On their first start since representing Ireland at the European pony championships in Sweden, Izzy Riley and Monarch Of The Glen (56.2) easily saw off their sole opponents, Robyn McCluskey and Blackhill Border Fox (76.5) to win the CNCP** class.

Both combinations had a fence down show jumping and the runners-up were lucky to remain as one when McCluskey was nearly pitched out of the saddle jumping into the main water at 12. She recovered well and in spite of the error picked up just 1.6 cross-country time penalties.

Robyn McFadden from Newtownards posted an all-the-way success in the EI 100J class where the only clear show jumping round came from the fourth-placed pairing of Herbie Purce and Seapatrick Hamish (33.5). McFadden had just the one pole down with the former point-to-point gelding Teluel (29.5), a 10-year-old by Tel Quel, as she had when fifth in a strong class at Tattersalls last time out and when winning at Ballyvannon

Hollie Smith won her first EI 100P at this event last year and doubled up when narrowly landing the same class with Gucci III, in spite of adding four show jumping penalties to her winning dressage score of 22.3. This was a third win of the season for the Gilford combination. Another Newtownards rider, Kathryn McKibbin recorded her first victory under EI rules when landing the 17-runner 90P class on her dressage score of 27 with her mother Karen’s 12-year-old bay mare Antrim Moneypenny.

Bidding to follow on their victory at the Area 17 home championships the previous Saturday, Caitie Slater and Colour Code Chinook led after the first phase (26.8) but had a costly pole down show jumping. Like many ponies at this time of the year, the skewbald gelding is now on the market.