Margie McLoone

THIS year, the organisation of the prize-giving ceremonies at Tattersalls International Horse Trials was taken over by a new team of Joanne Hepburn and Lyndsey Dreaper who didn’t have the best of starts when the skies opened for the one-star ceremony late on Saturday afternoon.

The final phase for this division had gone extremely well with all the action taking place in the main show jumping arena where, thanks to some hard work by event secretary Margaret Speirs and her team, most riders were able to compete in order in spite of having other commitments throughout the day.

On behalf of the sponsor, Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa, marketing executive Ashling McWeeney presented a mounted Tattersalls fox to Lucy Hancock who won the CCI* for ponies on her mother Jane’s well-known Connemara gelding Newtown Westie. Hancock was also presented with the Roma Kieran memorial trophy by Roma’s daughter Emma.

Elaine Jenkins, sales and marketing manager with Tredstep Ireland, presented a silver cup to Robbie Kearns, winner of the junior class on Garrybritt Bonny while Sneezy Foster presented the Limerick rider with the David Foster cup as leading Irish competitor in the CCIJ*.

Tattersalls will have been pleased with the result of this class as Garrybritt Bonny, who was bred by the late Betty Parker out of a Seclude mare, topped the 2010 event horse sale here when purchased by an Italian buyer from Terry White. She returned to Ireland towards the end of 2012.

The CCI* sponsor, Land Rover, was represented by Ciaran Ferguson, sales controller with local dealer H.B. Dennis, who presented a Tattersalls fox to both Jodie and Joe O’Keeffe, rider and owner respectively of the winner, Kachemire Le Beau.

For the second year running, the Christine Bastow cup for the highest-placed North Leinster amateur in this class was won by Sharon Reilly (ninth on Until Proven Guilty). The trophy was once again kindly presented to the local rider by Britain’s Oliver Townend.