LEG five of the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series was completed before the bad weather closed in last Saturday when even the impending arrival of Storm Ciara had failed to deter the league’s most ardent supporters from travelling to The Meadows Equestrian Centre outside Lurgan.

Among those out to gain attendance, and performance, points were the usual contingent of Castle Leslie Riding Club members who, later in the evening, learned they would have a free day on Sunday with the cancellation of the AIRC North East Region/Equipet show jumping league at Ravensdale.

Lucca Stubington missed round four of the Flexi Eventing series to go hunting with The Route at Bushmills; Noel Mullins’ report on this meet will appear in these pages next week. However, she made up for that absence on Saturday by claiming the two higher-graded dressage classes where Will McAuley didn’t have too busy a session as he had just 17 combinations to judge between both divisions.

On a score of 68%, Stubington’s winner of the two-runner Intermediate section was her mother Georgia’s thoroughbred gelding Quingenti, the 2010 John Kidd-bred September Storm bay on whom she won the CCI2*-L at Bicton last October. Series regular Helen Faulkner finished second with her 12-year-old Connemara gelding, Derrivane Danny (66.6).

Stubington dominated the 15-strong Novice class when filling the top two placings on seven-year-olds owned, in partnership, by the Co Antrim rider’s mother and her grandmother, Patricia McKean, and bred by the pair at their Sweet Wall Stud.

Topping the leaderboard on 70.3% was the Ringfort Cruise gelding Xenophons Honour, who is out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare by City Honours, while the runner-up spot was filled by Xanthe Green (69.8), a mare by Sir Shutterfly out of the Irish Sport Horse mare Daisy M.

A run of form

Ballymena’s Charlotte Dixon maintained her good run of form when landing the David Patterson-judged Pre-Novice class on Trump (72.5), a seven-year-old Ricardo Z gelding who was sourced through the Smith brothers.

Second in a class of 29 starters was the similarly-aged Doyen mare Fire And Fury (71) who, two years ago, pulled up on her only start in a point-to-point. ‘Diane’, who has over a year’s eventing under her belt, was ridden by Neil Morrison who owns the bay in partnership with Barbara Hanna.

Holly McClenaghan enjoyed a good spell in the dressage arena as she finished first and joint second in Section A of the Intro class where 20 combinations appeared before Martina McKinley.

McClenaghan’s winner, on a score of 72%, was the Obelix mare Homegrown Beatrix with whom she competed in the Young Eventhorse Series last year. The four-year-old bay was bred in Co Down by Victoria Moffett out of the Amiro M mare Queens Gate.

Second place (69) was divided by the McClenaghan-ridden Connemara gelding Longwood Dawn, a seven-year-old by I Love You Melody, and the Nicky Nesbitt-partnered Carrickview Saratoga, a nine-year-old Irish Draught mare by Crosstown Dancer.

In Section B, Fran Warden was obviously impressed by the performance of Lara McRobb and her 16-year-old mare April, awarding this combination a score of 74% with the first leg winners, Sharon McKeever and Cosmic Rolo, narrowly beaten into second (73.5). McRobb also finished fourth on Cheska (70.3), just behind Claire Smyth with Tilly (72.3).

Double clears weren’t that plentiful over the Aaron McCusker-designed show jumping tracks while the three very different tracks in the cross-country arenas also posed a challenge on Saturday.

Leaderboard

Following this fifth leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series, Nikki Cullen and her 11-year-old Emperor Augustus mare, Danske Coevers Lass (a full-sister to Augusta Firefly (CCI3*-L)), have moved into a one-point lead over Denis Currie (Arodstown Aramis), Nicola Martin (Butter) and Nichola Wray (Lady Grey VI) who are tied for second on 40 points apiece.

A further point adrift in joint-fifth are Amy Steele (Big Adventure) and Nicky Nesbitt (Carrickview Saratoga).

Currie lost his position at the top of the leaderboard as he decided to bypass The Meadows on Saturday and instead head down to Dublin to see Ireland beat Wales in the Six Nations rugby, while also in the stands at the Aviva Stadium was another Flexi Eventing regular, Nicky Corr.

The series, which is open to all, continues each Saturday until February 29th. Cash prizes and rosettes for the top 15, sashes for the top three and a winner’s trophy for the 2020 champion will be presented at the mini one-day event being staged at The Meadows on Saturday, March 7th.