Margie McLoone

THERE was an excellent entry in the open class on Sunday at Tattersalls where Area 7 staged the latest round of the Irish Pony Club/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing league.

All 21 stood their ground in open class where the leader after dressage on 28.55 penalties was Josephine Pollock with her Tattersalls international junior ride Lislan Golden Eye. Unfortunately, the Meath pairing lost their hold on the top spot with a pole down show jumping before picking up 7.2 penalties across the country to finish second.

Pollock recorded one of only four clear rounds over the coloured poles with her second ride, Hoofprint Caleb, but was too slow over the fixed fences to get into the reckoning. Fastest of all across the country was Noel Dunne of the Killinick branch who picked up 0.8 of a penalty on his unraced thoroughbred Warship to win on 36.3, a total which included four show jumping penalties.

At present, the Taghmon rider is back being coached in dressage by Kitty Woods of Shelmalier Stables, having had lessons with Bridgette McCarthy throughout his year at Grennan College where he did stages of the BHS exams and the Level 5 course in horsemanship. The 19-year-old is due to return to the Co Kilkenny college in September to do Level 6.

Twice a graduate of the Tattersalls sales ring, Warship is a 1997 Warcraft gelding who was evented at international one-star level by Lee Murphy before being campaigned in sportsman classes from 2006 through to 2009 by Sally Anne Stone.

Dunne obviously likes thoroughbreds as he is currently schooling a horse just off the track and has a couple of youngsters to bring out as well.

“I was delighted with my horse on Sunday as this was our first start together in an open class,” said Dunne. “We need to get another clear cross-country round to qualify for the championships.”

This year, those championships are being held at Kilguilkey House, but that didn’t deter a large crowd from competing at Tattersalls on Sunday when it was a very good day weatherwise.

The Pollock family and the Meath branch were on the mark in section B of the Intermediate class where Iona won on her dressage score of 27 penalties with the 11-year-old chesnut gelding Killinick Dazzler. The pair were following up their victory seven days earlier at Killossery Lodge.

South Westmeath’s Louise Kennedy led after the first phase (25.4) on the 22-year-old Woodvale Kings Royal gelding Prince Zola but dropped to second having lowered one of the coloured poles.

Second in another intermediate section at Killossery, Waterford’s Niamh Hayden improved a place to win section A with Freddie, an 11-year-old gelding on whom she has been placed in EI100P classes. Hayden’s total of 29.8 included 1.6 cross-country time penalties while Westmeath’s Megan O’Leary, who finished second on 32.5 with Silver Brogue, was one of only two riders in this section to complete on their dressage score. There were only 12 starters in section C which was won by Rosanna Angel of the Louth branch riding Shady Glen. She had a completion score of 38.5, which included 0.4 for time on the final leg. The branch doubled up in the novice intermediate section which went to the Killossery winners, Abigail O’Neill on Clough Girl.

The honours were more widely spread in the junior division. Waterford’s Ruth Burke landed section A with the well-known 15-year-old gelding Freemount Tayto, Katie Naughton of the East Galway branch claimed section B on Seven, while Sam Carey struck for Westmeath in section C riding Blessington Kamikaze.

Lottie Ross, representing Kildare, recorded a pillar-to-post success in section A of the under-12 class on board Stonehaven Dazzler. In section B, nothing could separate the same club’s Jill McKenna on Ballycurraghan EC Cuba from the Meaths’ Matthew Love on board Brookhall Ana Marie. In the combined training class, the Meath branch also came out on top through Isabella Gogan on Crimson Or Clover.

Qualifying for the Connolly’s Red Mills Championships continues tomorrow at Crecora and Stradbally with the Co Tipperary venue of Grove having the stage to itself on Sunday next, July 17th.