THREE riders won three titles apiece at last weekend’s Slieve Bloom Stud National Dressage Championships at Cavan with Kilkenny’s Rachel Dowley doing so on three individual horses. Her wins came in the County Saddlery Preliminary Category 3 Championship on the five-year-old Furstenball mare Just A Ball BS, in the Freedom Saddlery Elementary Category 3 Championship with the year older Florencio gelding Insticator BS and in the Horse First Grand Prix Freestyle on the 12-year-old Hochadel gelding Cadens.

In the first two Championships, Dowley was the only rider to score 70% or more and low scores were a noticeable trend over the weekend.

“I was thrilled with them all,” said Dowley. “Their consistency was the highlight, over nine classes they were always in the top three and all of Just A Ball and Insticator’s scores were over 70%. The other major highlight was Cadens. To win a national title at big tour level was a major goal, and our Grand Prix on Saturday was one of the best we’ve done.

“The young ones will keep working away at home, and hopefully get stuck into the changes over the winter. Cadens needs to continue getting stronger in the Grand Prix work (he felt tired in himself doing two Grand Prix in a row at the weekend) and get more experience in the ring. He has only done seven Grand Prix tests to date.”

Another three-time winner at the Championships was Limerick’s Tara Oliver who struck twice with her young horse Senators Rhonaldo, who she purchased privately in Britain as a yearling.

Successful in the four-year-old Championship last September, the Rhondeo gelding won the Horse First five-year-old Championship on a score of 72.400% ahead of the Dale Roberts-ridden Rademon Aachen (71.200) and Dowley’s Just A Ball BS (70). Despite a dog trying to share the arena, he also topped the scores (73.558) in the Botanica Elementary Freestyle Championship where Dowley was second with Insticator (73.173). His delighted owner/rider was presented with the Kilkea trophy for this success.

Oliver’s third win came narrowly in the Freedom Saddlery Advanced Championships where, with the higher collective mark, she took the title on Furst Romance (an eight-year-old gelding by Furst Romancier who she purchased from the Woodcroft Stud in Britain shortly after his arrival from Germany) – Co Down’s Ella Boyle had to settle for the reserve slot with Aquiro although both achieved a score of 69.853%.

Oliver, who runs a livery and training yard in Ahane, has been coached for the last 18 months by Mark Ruddock and, whenever she is in this country, by Jennie Loriston-Clarke. She hopes to compete both her horses on the British circuit next year, targeting the six-year-old championship with Senators Rhonaldo while continuing to bring Furst Romance through the Prix St Georges ranks.

Also landing three titles was Sadhbh O’Toole with Maverick S, a 12-year-old German-bred dun by the Welsh pony stallion, The Braes My Mobility. They won (67.728) the Wow Saddles Medium Category 2 Championship ahead of the Tara Hayes-partnered Thorneyside Kestrel (65.815), the White’s Agri FEI Pony Championships (66.845) narrowly from the Cillian Curran-ridden Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor (66.350) and the Curragh Equine Rehabilitation Centre FEI Pony Freestyle (70.688) ahead of Oscar O’Connor on Top Hero 2 (70.375).