HAVING run a very well-attended one-day event at Lisgarvan last Sunday, Clive and Dorcas Corrigan only had to worry about one horse at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday, their own Marbridge Diamond Imp, winner of the Shires Equestrian Products five-year-old class.

The bay Clover Brigade mare, who was contesting her third straight leg of the Stepping Stones to Success League, is being produced for the Corrigans by Sarah Ennis. “I started working with her last autumn before sending her home just before Christmas for a month’s break,” commented the Co Meath rider who was recording her first win in this year’s League.

“She came back to me around the end of January and I’ve been happy with her progress since then. We’ll finish up the Stepping Stones League with the mare and I think I will probably give her a run in an EI90 class or two before starting the Dublin young event horse qualifiers. She’s green but willing and has gone well through the league so far.”

Marbridge Diamond Imp was bred in Co Carlow by Martin Fenlon out of the Master Imp mare Diamond Imp VII. She is a full-sister to the three-star international event horse Brigadier, while her dam is a full-sister to, among others, Killossery Robins Nest and Killossery Wrens Nest. The Corrigans have a Clover Brigade four-year-old out of a half-sister to Diamond Imp VII.

“We bought Marbridge Diamond Imp from her breeder as a two-year-old and she was broken for us in Tullow by the point-to-point jockey Niall Redmond,” revealed Clive Corrigan. “The Stepping Stones League is a very good system of production and Wexford Equestrian is a great place to educate a horse. We leave all the decisions as to what the mare will do next up to Sarah as she’s the one sitting on her and she’s done all this before.”

With a clear round, Marbridge Diamond Imp narrowly claimed class honours on 212 points ahead of the Luke Drea-ridden Kilcandra Bonnie Reward (211.5), Daphne Ladley’s Financial Reward mare who picked up four penalties in the Derby Arena where she had received the top marks of the jump judges (162).

For good measure, Ennis also finished third on her husband Niki Potterton’s grey Chillout gelding Stellor Skipon (211) and she had a long day with rides also in the thoroughbred and pony classes.

Ciara Power led after dressage on Stonehavens Metro (57.5) but the Mermus R gelding didn’t rate as highly with the jump judges over a track designed and built by Dereck Hamilton and Pat Peare and, in spite of a clear round, dropped to sixth on a total of 197. Veterinary surgeon Aoife Quigley finished fourth on her Lux Z gelding Castletown Lux For Joy (205.5) with Cathal Daniels a place back on Bridget McGing’s homebred Diamond Pointe, a mare from the first crop of the thoroughbred stallion Pointilliste.

Daniel Alderson, stable jockey this year at Belline Equestrian, put himself in line for the Under 25 award when claiming the Botanica International four-year-old class for the second week running on Richard Ames’s Ballyvillane OBOS.

The chesnut OBOS Quality 004 gelding, who was bred in Co Tipperary by Tim Gleeson out of the Young Convinced mare Gleesons Coolcorran, led after dressage on 58.5 points, to which he added the top score from the jumping phase (155) for a commanding total of 213.5. Daisy Duggan and the Ustinov gelding Ultan, who is out of the Swedish-bred Irco Mena mare Nellie, moved up from a share of third place in week two to finish second on 201.

John Bannon’s thoroughbred horse Sizing Alberta, twice a winner at the venue, missed Wednesday’s round of the league, but the owner was represented by the Correna Bowe-partnered Make A Move who finished third on 197.5. The black Orestus mare is out of Lislan Cruise (by Cruising). Undeterred by the large numbers in the first round, Sasha Stewart returned to Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday as dressage judge, while Ian Fearon was joined by guest judge Brian Lusk for the jumping phase.