AN excellent weekend for Crossgar’s Johnny Steele began at Finvoy where Mr Green, owned by Saturday’s birthday celebrant, Katrina Mackie, doubled up on his Maddybenny success in the 22-runner CNC* class.

Among the many riders who had competed at Balmoral show in the preceding three days, Steele was very complimentary about the Co Antrim venue. “I came here last year and was determined to support the event again this season,” said Steele.

“The whole place looked amazing and while I was apprehensive about the ground, once I set out on the novice track, I found the going wasn’t as hard as I had thought so decided to kick on with Mr Green. The novice cross-country course was educational; nothing was too big but it asked plenty of questions.

“Mr Green will probably go to Glenpatrick next Saturday (today) and after that we’ll have a chat and see what to do with him next. He was bought for Katrina’s son William and he’ll most likely start up on the horse again during the summer.

“I was really pleased with my other rides as well. I had John Reid’s Limmerick mare Lilibolero back up at one-star level and she finished 13th with a fence down show jumping and two time penalties. She’s a full-sister to the four-star eventing mare Laras Song and a half-sister to Intro-Link Larry (by Lauriston) who’s jumping in Grand Prix with Eddie Moloney.

RAW HORSE

“It was good to get around and finish fourth in the EI 100 class with Andrew Greer’s Galdanagh while Joanne Jarden’s Chance Choice (a gelding by Porsch who was 11th in the EI 90) is a raw horse with plenty of potential,” concluded Steele.

Mr Green, an eight-year-old Harlequin du Carel gelding out of the Cruising mare Cruising High, completed on his winning dressage score of 21.5 penalties ahead of the Steven Smith-ridden pair of EMS Florence (21.8) and Swift Edition (23.5) who also finished on their flat work marks.

Daniel Brown won the four-runner open novice on his dressage score of 27.3 penalties with his mother Maureen’s 14-year-old Euro Jackpot, one of a strong entry for the CCI** class for riders under 24 at Tattersalls next month.

Joanne Jarden had a better result in the strong CNCJ* where Justine Harding partnered her homebred nine-year-old Gee Apollo mare MJI Wendy to victory despite the addition of 0.4 of a cross-country time penalty. The horse and rider combination were having their first start at this level.

Winners at Rosanna earlier in the month, Ella Boyle finished second on her dressage score (32.5) with another mare, the Ars Vivendi bay Catriona, but the first phase winners (27.8) , Ryan Truesdale and Lowhill Tick Tock, dropped to fifth with 12 show jumping penalties.

Double-handed in the CNCP** class, Robyn McCluskey won on her dressage score of 30.5 with her mother Denise’s lovely Connemara Creemully Melody on whom she took over the ride this season.

The Dromara rider and the I Love You Melody gelding were left in front after show jumping and dressage when Anna Hayden and Langtons Choice, who shared the lead to that point, parted company at fence five, the Feedwell log in to the willows. Zara Nelson, who also had two rides in the eight-strong class, slotted into second with the brilliant Millridge Buchaill Bui (32.8).

There was a tie-in to the Balmoral Show when Ballymena’s Clare McVeigh, who took time off from competing for the past few years to have a baby and then find a suitable horse, landed the 20-runner Lafarge Tarmac EI 90 class on her winning dressage score of 26 with HRH High Society.

The six-year-old Near Dock gelding, who was bred in Co Clare by Dermot O’Sullivan, is out of the Big Sink Hope mare My Only Hope who was exhibited her now Co Wexford owner, John Roche, to win the medium/heavyweight broodmare class at Balmoral Park last Wednesday.

Standing 17.1hh, HRH High Society is a real stamp of a show horse which is little wonder as he was the Gain all-Ireland colt foal champion at Ballinasloe in 2010.

His dam, with a colt by Castleforbes Lord Lancer at foot, won The Irish Field breeders’ championship at the RDS in 2014, the year in which McVeigh bought her good-coloured chesnut at Goresbridge.

Third after dressage on 32 penalties in the EI 90P class, Aimee Roscoe from Carrickfergus jumped a double clear to record her first Eventing Ireland victory on her mother Nicola’s 10-year-old grey gelding J.D. Little Problem with whom she also competes in schools’ show jumping and Pony Club eventing.

The early leaders, Katherine O’Hare on Glenkyle Beaver (28.3) and Kristin Thom on Cloonlee Red River (28.5) both picked up four show jumping penalties and had a stop apiece across the country.