THERE were big celebrations at the ringside on Sunday afternoon when Jodie O’Keefe secured Ireland’s only long format win of the weekend. Riding the talented Reenmore Duke, O’Keefe kept her cool in a very tense final show jumping phase, and with no margin for error, maintained her overnight position with a solid clear round.

“I felt we were on wings,” she said afterwards. “I was in a similar situation at Tattersalls last year and really felt the pressure, but today I learnt from that.”

Supported at the ringside by her parents Joe and Anne, together with mentor Esib Power, and Reenmore Duke’s breeder Maura Crowley, O’Keefe completed with the only sub-50 score of the class. The Co Meath-based rider is now planning an upgrade to three-star level, but qualified by saying, “I wouldn’t do it on any other horse, but I’d trust him to the moon and back.”

A busy student, O’Keefe is soon heading out to San Sebastian in Spain for a year, but plans to keep the son of Quicksilber in work with Esib and will return to campaign him when possible next year. The eight-year-old, who was bought from John Bannon, carries a thoroughbred dam line which, coincidentally, features the race mare Charm School, who was owned by Jodie’s father Joe O’Keefe.

Form panned out well when the Kilguilkey CIC2* winners Rosie Fry and Arise Cavalier retained their overnight second placing. As the only combination to complete on their opening score and posting easily the fastest time of the class, Fry was thrilled, although a little disappointed with her first phase score. “The dressage was not as good as it can be, but it didn’t matter in the end,” she remarked.

“He was amazing in the country, and found it embarrassingly easy to come home inside the time.”

Irish-bred, the son of Cavalier Two For Joy, was bred in Co Meath by Virginia Considine out of the Hanoverian-registered mare Wandervogel.

Scoring well for Ireland, Cathal Daniels mounted the podium in third place. Riding OLS Back Chat for Michelle Nelson, the Toravich-sired gelding had put in a classy spin the country, and despite tipping the fourth fence in the show jumping, retained his overnight placing.

“We needed the qualification at this level to move forward,” explained Daniels. “It was plenty technical enough out there, and the plan now is to do the Ballindenisk CCI3* then depending on how that goes, possibly Pau to complete the season.”

This may provide Daniels with some compensation, as it was revealed this week that he has withdrawn the good mare Rioghan Rua from this weekend’s four-star showcase at Burghley.

Michael McNally was clear and fast in the country with Mount Panther, and although he racked up 12 show jumping faults, he just maintained his sixth-placed advantage (72.3) over compatriot Eva Melly and Annaghmore Ardeo Beach (73.2).

The leaderboard was first turned on its head when the New Zealand pairing of James Avery and Zazu picked up a very expensive 20 penalties in the country. Having emphatically led the dressage (41.3), the duo was nearly home and hosed, before glancing off at the second element of the Sport Ireland Shamrock water (21b).

This fence proved to be the bogey, with Kate Walls (Cooley Lands) and Heli Nannimainen (Daenerys) also picking up penalties, as did the popular Japanese visitor Kazuma Tomoto. Heading out in second place, Tomoto lost his early advantage, when Tacoma d’Horsel racked up two refusals at the Fernhill Sport Horses and Duhallow Hunt Kennels Irish bank complex at 6b. Just two failed to complete.