THE second leg of the inaugural Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored combined training challenge was held last Saturday at Killossery Lodge Stud, signalling the end of series in the Leinster Region of Dressage Ireland.

Co Wicklow’s Niamh Nolan had to return to her day job as a secondary school maths teacher yesterday but she has had a busy and rewarding summer and on Saturday won both the 80cms and 1m classes with her own Barravalley Lightening and CLS Stay With Her Johnny.

The 15.1hh Connemara Barravalley Lightening, who jumped clear to complete on 201.5, was purchased from his Co Kilkenny breeder Noelle Brett towards the end of 2016. The six-year-old gelding is by Templebeady Fear Bui out of the Robe Earl mare Robe Grey Mystery. The grey competes at Novice level in dressage.

Second in that 80cms class was Margaret McMullan who ended up on a total of 198 as the five-year-old Rebel Mountain gelding Ballinteskin Rebel lowered a pole. Leanne Foster had two down with Slievefelimn Grageen (188), a six-year-old mare by the Irish Sport Horse stallion Yeats out a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Parthian Springs.

Nolan purchased CLS Stay With Her Johnny in 2015 but was aware of the horse long before then as he belonged to the Byrne family of Redcross with whom she keeps her horses. The tall, dark bay gelding by Lancelot was bred in Co Kerry by William Kennedy out of the Ballysimon mare KEC Forever, a half-sister to Ronja XXVI (CSI3*).

Nolan competes with CLS Stay With Her Johnny at Elementary level and, during the summer, took the nine-year-old on a nine-day trip around England, competing at Hickstead and Hartpury (where they won a class) among other venues and picking up a couple of placings. They also travelled back across the water earlier this month for the BD youth home international in Dorset.

Bannvalley Lightening and CLS Stay With Her Johnny have qualified for the Dressage Ireland national championships at Cavan at the end of September but have a more immediate engagement tomorrow as both have been entered for the Try Eventing at Lisgarvan.

“I think this new series is a great idea,” commented Nolan. “I can’t see many of the pure dressage people doing it but, for someone like me, who wants to try everything, it’s perfect. I will probably do the leg in Barnadown as that’s not too far from me.”

CLEAR ROUND

A clear round saw CLS Stay With Her Johnny win Sunday’s 1m class on a score of 162, claiming first place ahead of Kate Keenan and the six-year-old Flex A Bill mare Killossery Kirsch who also left all the poles intact to complete on 158.5. There were no jumping faults either for Ellen Merrins and Sillan Ludene (157).

The Nicola Ennis-ridden Killossery Kosmic, a four-year-old by the 2010 Le Lion d’Angers seven-year-old winner Mighty Magic out of Killossery Wrens Nest (CCI2*), picked up eight jumping faults but still managed to finish second (164.5) behind the Oisin Haley-ridden Irish Shadow (175) who jumped clear in the 90cms class. The winners competed in the children on horses’ section at the Silver Spurs finals last week. Sara Wood slotted into third with Whacky Jack who also finished on his first phase score (160).

Fresh from her great success in the five-year-old young event horse class at the Dublin Horse Show with Kilcandra Vanessa, Co Wicklow’s Aoife Quigley won Saturday’s 1.1.0m class on Castletown Lux For Joy who scored 151 in dressage but had a pole down.

The six-year-old Lux Z gelding has competed in four CNC1* classes this season and, today, heads north to Finvoy for a fifth outing in similar company.

Despite also having a fence down, Jamie Nolan finished second with Corraghoe Charmer (145), while Amy Sanfey, who left all the poles intact with Sillan Ludene (157), placed third.

In my report from round one of the challenge, I incorrectly stated that Jenny Doran’s Horseplay Clover Star had jumped at 1.30m level which would have been against the rules of the competition. This mistake was due to my not reading the rules fully and a mix-up between two other parties. The highest the six-year-old Captain Clover gelding has competed over is 1.05m.