THE final leg of White’s Agri Autumn Dressage League was staged last Saturday by Cheval Riding Club at its grounds in Jordanstown where the previous three rounds were hosted, in turn, by the Killeek, Castle Hill and Copperfield clubs.
The five league winners all topped their classes last Saturday when Jacki Doherty awarded some high scores, Helena Fitzgerald winning the intermediate class on a mark of 78.86% with her well-known gelding Gentleman James. Fitzgerald and her 17-year-old bay by Clover Dubh have represented Ashbrook Riding Club with distinction over the years in dressage and showing.
On Saturday, they finished ahead of the Kilrainy pairings of Vicki Mason on Rosheen Mozart (70) and Claire Leahy with Diamond Discovery (69.55).
Fitzgerald and Gentleman James won three of the four legs of the league to take the title with 27 points. They had to settle for the runner-up spot at the first show, going down to the Milestone Lodge combination of Ciara Wynne and her six-year-old Fado Fado mare My Lady Arabella who completed the league in second place on 16 points.
Killossery’s Dearbhle Creagh was particularly pleased with her double success on Saturday as she has only recently upgraded to advanced intermediate. Her class and league-winning mount was the 12-year-old Ramiro B mare Tickle Time on whom she scored 75.71% with Kilronan’s Louise Somers taking second with her Irish Draught gelding Indian Mist (66.90), an eight-year-old by Cappa Cochise.
VICTORIOUS DAY
The pair completed the league on 20 points apiece with two wins and a second-place finish to their credit but Creagh took the honours as victorious on the day.
There was a tie on points too (18) at advanced primary level but again a win on the day for Fingal’s Mary Hagan and her 11-year-old bay mare Sweetwell (74.62) saw them claim the league ahead of Castledermot’s Zoe Shannon and her French thoroughbred Dodge City, a 16-year-old grey gelding by Pistolet Bleu (70.77).
Another former racehorse, the 17-year-old Borovoe gelding Youdbe, was partnered by Moyglare’s Johanna Gilligan to land the primary class and league on 76.65% and 21 points respectively. In both instances, Killossery’s Pauline Creagh finished second with her 13-year-old Merry Mate mare Helena Misty Eve (63.46 and 18).
Castle Hill’s Mairead Dolan and Drynam’s Hanna McDowell clashed three times during the league, the former winning on each occasion with her 14-year-old Touchdown gelding Master Touch. On Saturday, Dolan achieved a score of 71.90% to win the league on 21 points as McDowell and Slieve Mish Hero took second place on 18.
Copperfield members won the two sportsman classes contested on Saturday, Karen Gibney scoring at A level with her Connemara gelding Black Diamond Bob, a five-year-old by Kilmore Diamond, while Jane Whitaker won the B section on her eight-year-old skewbald mare Coppermine Maggie.
Whitaker, who ran the Copperfield leg of the league, stepped in at a late stage last week to work out the times for the show following the death of Christopher Day, father of Cheval chairman Angela Day, to whom we extend our sympathy.