ONE 20-minute rain shower failed to dampen the spirits of those competing at last Sunday’s Dressage Ireland Leinster Region show in Redhills where Sarah Mellor saw off five rivals to land the Prix St George on Hotshot.
Mellor, who was awarded a score of 68.53% by Michael Moore to win ahead of Kevin Acres on Ganesh (67.35) and Tara Oliver riding Furst Romance (66.32), had a big smile on her face as she patted her mare down the neck on exiting Arena 2.
“I was delighted to get Hotshot back competing as she missed last year through injury,” said the Enfield-based Australian native of the home-bred 10-year-old who stands 17.3hh and is by the Hanoverian stallion Hotline out of a mare by Handel II.
Furst Romance (67.79) and Ganesh (66.47) swapped positions in the Vida Tansey-judged Intermediaire I but still had to settle for the minor placings behind Sue Smallman and her 10-year-old Uphill gelding, Gloriant H (69.41).
Tansey also judged the seven-strong Medium BD61, where her comfortable winner was Category 3 rider Lucy Cusack on her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Ravel, Gavelle Ter Kwincke (70.69), while she awarded Tara Oliver a score of 70.15 for her work in the Advanced Medium BD96 with Senators Rhonaldo. Moore also had that Co Limerick-based rider and her seven-year-old British-bred Oldenburg gelding at the top of his leaderboard in the Advanced Medium BD85 (74).
Delays
The north Dublin judge was delayed getting to Redhills because of a traffic incident on his way down, while held up by another such incident, Deirdre Byrne only had 10 minutes to warm-up Indigo-Perrado prior to appearing before Ann Glynn in the Elementary DI51.
“I was sorry to have to rush her but, not only was she last to go in the class, but we then had to get one judge in and another out so the afternoon’s timetable wouldn’t fall behind,” explained show organiser, Clare Fitzsimmons. “As it turned out, it didn’t seem to matter as she won anyway (on a score of 70.74)!”
Category 3 rider Byrne and her Dutch Warmblood gelding Indigo-Perrado, an eight-year-old by Desperado, also won the Moore-assessed Medium BD69 on 68.03. The same judge had Rebecca Keane and Falco (70.97) at the top of his leaderboard in the Elementary BD40.
Louise Fellowes narrowly headed June Loughran’s scores in the seven-strong Novice DI24 on her 16-year-old chesnut gelding, Caherbrack Tim (71.33), with Lianne O’Shea placing second on Othello (71). On 68.28, Fellowes shared top spot in the Category 1 section of the Novice BD22 with Liz Power and the Connemara gelding Kilshanny Robert, a nine-year-old by Cashelbay Prince.
However, Glynn reserved her top score of 70.34 for Category 2 rider John Gavin and his Cobra gelding Holywell Spark who, in the Tansey-judged five-year-old young horse class, had to settle for the runner-up spot (74) behind Sorrell Klatzko riding Gladiator (78). This son of the Trakehner stallion Sir Sansibar was home-bred in Co Meath by Klatzko out of the Hohenstein mare Blue Eyes.
Since the sale of Dollanstown, Horse Sport Ireland Level 3 dressage coach Emma Kieran has been based with Lorli Higgins in Ballymore Eustace and the pair have a project on their hands in producing the traditionally-bred Mystical Meg who had been ‘in the field’ since Lorli’s daughters left home.
The 11-year-old dun, who won both Preliminary classes – the Christina Keane-judged DI18 (77.08) and the Loughran-assessed BD19 (73.33) – is by the Connemara stallion Ashfield Romeo out of the thoroughbred mare Mystic Oak (by Waajib) who won on the flat in Germany.
“Apparently Petzy (Anna Merveldt, Lorli’s sister) sat up on the mare a few years ago and liked her,” reported Kieran who is freelance coach and also schools horses for owners. “I have just received outline planning permission to build at home in Charleville (Co Louth) so that will be my next project.”