LAST weekend’s Classic, run by the South East Region of Dressage Ireland, attracted a record entry to Spruce Lodge where three overseas judges were among those who officiated over the two days.

Those overseas visitors were FEI judge Yolanda Rama and British Dressage List 1 judges Kirsty Mepham and Tim Downes. The last-named was in Ireland the previous weekend also as he was a member of the ground jury of the CCI2*-S classes at the Camphire International Horse Trials.

Carrick-On-Suir’s Rachel Dowley was presented with the weekend’s leading rider award as she won the Grand Prix (63.42%) and the Grand Prix freestyle to music (67.50) on her 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Cadens (by Hochadel).

Also among Dowley’s winners over the two days were the five-year-old Othello, who scored 79% in the young horse classic, and the Bramley Stud-owned pair of the six-year-old Florencio gelding Insticator B.S. (80.19 in the Elementary freestyle to music) and the year younger Furstenball mare Just A Ball B.S.

Riding her 13-year-old His Highness mare Her Highness Willow, Anne Marie Dunphy narrowly won the Prix St George (64.93), from Tara Oliver on Furst Romance (64.85), and recorded one win and three placings on that mare’s six-year-old gelded son, LEB Hugo (by Woodlander Rockstar).

Dunphy’s former ride, the now 18-year-old Urbanus was partnered to victory in the Junior FEI team test (67.88) and the Advanced Medium freestyle to music (75.50) by Ellen Lonergan.

Another to record a double at the Classic was Belinda Brereton who guided the eight-year-old Negro gelding Galaxy Moone to victory in both the Junior FEI individual test (72.21) and the Advance class (67.06).

Sofie Walshe had a busy and successful couple of days with her two thoroughbred event horses, recording wins and places on both Herobrine (by Black Sam Bellamy) and Kinsau (by Indian Danehill). The former finished seventh, on his dressage score, in the 41-runner CCI2*-S class at Camphire while the once-raced Kinsau won the EI110 (Open) at Kilguilkey (3) last month.

One rider/horse combination to record a treble was that of Wexford’s Rachel Rowe and the 21-year-old Selle Français gelding, Kachemire le Beau. Eileen McDade twice topped the leaderboard with Wemyss Bay.

It was a busy weekend for five of the six Trailblazer riders who took part in Wednesday’s dressage demonstration at the Dublin Horse Show.

Mini riders, Kate Murphy and Anna O’Connor, who are both nine years of age, finished first and second respectively in the Introductory DI test at Spruce Lodge with Sahara Gold (71.18) and Birtley Rainbow Quest (68.24). Wednesday’s Junior Trailblazer, Rebeca McGrath, plus senior Trailblazers Katie Behan and Cara Hanley competed at a Midlands and Western Region show in Claremorris on Friday night.