Margie McLoone

THE Co Limerick Branch of the Irish Pony Club again returned to the Furnell family’s top-class venue of Ballycahane in Crecora to stage their round of the Connolly’s Red Mills eventing series last Sunday.

The hosts had a good day, starting in the seven-runner open that was won by Brigitte Murphy on her 12-year-old bay gelding Dunbane Boy, with whom she also competes under Eventing Ireland rules. In three EI100 outings this year they have show jumped clear, but they picked up eight faults over the coloured poles on Sunday to complete on a total of 43.2 penalties.

All seven combinations faulted in the show jumping phase but, with just one pole down, it was the glance-off across the country which proved the undoing of the dressage winners, Co Limerick’s William Cahill and Ballingowan Hopscotch.

Niall Burke of the South Union Branch repelled 22 rivals on his way to landing the intermediate section on his dressage score of 27.9 penalties with the seven-year-old grey gelding Stepping Spartacus. Also completing on her flat work mark, Anna Gavin finished second for the Golden Vale Branch with Badgerhill Apollo (31.3), while narrowly beaten into third was the Co Limerick’s Sophie Mullane with the five-year-old Connemara gelding Independent Johnny (31.4).

There were only seven starters in the novice intermediate class where members of the Co Limerick branch filled the first four places. The quartet was headed by Caoimhe Murphy who ended the day on her dressage score of 30.5 with the six-year-old mare Moveen Swatch, who is by Watermill Swatch out of a Rakish Paddy dam.

Pataire Crawford has been enjoying the series so far and here won the Junior A class for Galway Mid Country when completing on her very impressive dressage score of 19.2 with the 14-year-old home-bred mare Ardfry Balmoral (by Ardfry Cedar). Some way adrift in second came the Golden Vale’s Kelly-Ann Byrne Gileece on Kelly Choice (24.8).

The ever-reliable combination of Lorna Murphy and the 11-year-old gelding Tiktok Copper recorded yet another victory when landing Section B on their winning flat work score of 30.6.

The Duhallows won both sections of the Under 12 class through Lucy Williamson (Castleside Tom) and Anna Cronin (Coolakokera Ollie) and brought off a treble when Kate Williamson, riding Miss Perky, won the combined training class for riders under 10.