Margie McLoone

THIS has been a very busy week for the Turley and O’Connor families of Tullymurry Equestrian Centre, venue of an Eventing Ireland one-day last Saturday followed, on Sunday, by a ‘Go as you please’ event, which saw action on the cross-country track from 8.30am to just before 5pm.

Both days enjoyed long hours of sunshine, in contrast to the heavy rain of the previous week which had threatened the staging of the nearby Castlewellan show. The going was good for the most part with some wet patches in places, these mainly being in the lower part of the farm and off the cross-country track.

On Tuesday, David and Elaine O’Connor headed to the Dublin Horse Show but not before leaving the course in good shape.

“We got the dressage field harrowed and rolled on Sunday,” reported cross-country course builder, David, “and spent Monday bringing in all the flags, flowers and Chistmas trees so that they could be sent on to Tullylish.

“We also got the whole cross-country course harrowed and rolled while we had the chance as we are holding the Pony Club home championships (Area 17 novice one-day event) here on July 29th. “People seemed happy that we changed the direction of the track for Saturday’s event,” continued O’Connor. “We wanted to leave out the hill in the back field as much as possible and dug out a new track between the trees lower down.

“The parallel first element to the Devil’s Dyke on the novice course caught out a few horses. I actually didn’t have a back pole there but was told that it was too small originally which is why it was added. It came up early (at three) as did the following water which was a lot easier than in recent years.”

Donnacha Anhold and his mount Morning Star might not have agreed with final remark following their fall in the water while competing in the EI100 amateur class.

There were a few stops, three retirements and an elimination at the new fence nine (open ditch, two strides to skinny) on the novice track.

“I thought there might have been more problems here,” stated O’Connor. “Riders who did have a stop would have done better to go back and do the two elements again, as they should, rather than try to get at the skinny and risk a second run-out.”

The log Trakehner at 14 stands out as a big fence on this track and it too had an influence on the result. In the O/CNC*, Joseph Murphy retired The Mistress here while he picked up 20 jumping penalties with Bellscross Starlight who was leading after the first two phases.

In the novice class, Anita Doherty retired at 14 with Karinella Ruby, as did Casey Webb on Coloo Colin, while So Porsch was eliminated following a fall. This was a real shame as the Stacey Watling-partnered mare was lying second after dressage and show jumping and was really going well on the final leg.

Fence nine continued to cause problems on the pre-novice track where combinations just jumped up a small bank to the skinny. There were numerous stops, two retirements and one elimination. The keyhole drop at 11 was a bit of a rider frightener but, in the main, jumped well while there were few problems on the EI90 track.

Brothers Trevor and Steven Smith had a good day, winning a class apiece. The former claimed the O/CNC* with Baby Roller, who, on her debut at this level, added just 7.2 cross-country time penalties to her dressage score of 34.5 for a win made the easier by the aforementioned misfortunes of Joseph Murphy.

Still dry at this stage, Sligo’s Donnache Anhold claimed the runner-up spot with his German-bred gelding A.P. Topstar (48).

“I thought they did a great job here,” said Smith. “The show jumping boys put up a good track in the front field, which you really had to ride well to get a good clear. The cross-country fences were well-built and presented but this is a track that people always underestimate; it’s tricky. Because horses are hardly ever on the level you have to be switched on at all times.”

Baby Roller is owned by Steven Smith and the plan is to keep the bay as a potential team mount for either his daughter Hollie or Trevor’s daughter Bonnie. Although nine, the High Roller mare only began eventing last year.

She was bred in Co Louth by John Kearney, who stands her sire, and is a full-sister to the 2008 gelding Cooley Roller Coaster, who, on his last two starts, finished second in the CCI* at Tattersalls and the CIC* at Chatsworth.

Baby Roller is heading for the CIC* at Camphire where her stable-companion, EMS Florence, will contest the CIC* for six-year-olds. Ridden by Steven Smith for Diane Harron Eakin, the grey Loch Cruise mare won Saturday’s CNC*, a 24-runner class in which the Gilford brothers partnered five of the top eight horses. In recording her second victory of the year, EMS Florence completed on a total of 39.8 which included eight cross-country time penalties. Also ridden by Steven, the six-year-old Ghareeb gelding Ballyward, who is also bound for Camphire (CCI*), finished second on 40.4.