DURING yet another busy year for the Fell family, Ballindenisk hosted the first national one-day event of 2017 on March 19th when just under 230 combinations contested 15 classes.

Having been the country’s leading rider for the previous four seasons, Joseph Murphy showed his determination to hold on to the title from the outset of this campaign, winning the CNC3* with the Badminton-bound Sportsfield Othello.

Sam Watson landed the Connolly Red Mills Superleague O/CNC2* on Ardagh Highlight who was the leading horse by the end of the year. By the conclusion of the Superleague, Watson and the 13-year-old Puissance gelding shared the honours on 22 points with Murphy and the 10-year-old Frankfort Boy gelding Fernhill Frankie.

The race for places on the Irish squad at the European Junior eventing championships at Millstreet in July began in earnest at Ballindenisk where there were 22 runners in the CNCJ1* class, while the EI100J competition was divided when a similar sized entry was received for it.

Action in the Northern Region commenced the following Saturday with the first of four one-days at Tyrella. There was a waiting list when the 300-mark was reached well before the scheduled closing time. Here the CNCJ1* had to be divided when attracting 38 entries and, for the first half of the year, large numbers were a feature of junior classes.

There was some controversy at the Corbett family’s popular seaside venue the following weekend in the Connolly’s Red Mills Superleague CNC3* class. The winner was Murphy on Fernhill Frankie as Declan Cullen, who had the best score on Seavaghan Ash, was deemed to have competed hors concours having ridden his dressage test in a top hat.

Ahead of hosting the aforementioned European Junior and Young Rider Championships, the Duggan family broke new ground by staging a one-day event entirely on all-weather surfaces at Millstreet in early May. It was confined to EI100 and EI90 level classes.

Having been approached by John Swanton, course builders Derek Hamilton and Sam Deverell put together a company, Arion Event Management, to run events at Punchestown with the first under the new regime taking place at the Co Kildare racecourse in early May.

Their efforts were much appreciated by many riders including Co Wicklow veterinary surgeon Michael O’Toole, winner of the top-rated O/CNC2* class with Greenfort Endeavour who returned to action this season following a lengthy absence. The pair also ran at the second of the Punchestown events later the same month, finishing eighth, but, sadly, the 13-year-old skewbald gelding was then retired.

POTENT FORCE

It would be impossible in this space to cover all that happened on the national scene but, although half the yard decamped to England, River Lodge Equestrian were a potent force throughout the season.

They enjoyed a good day in late May at Crecora where, in the 35-runner CNC1*, they finished first, second, third and fifth with RLE Nuans T Volt (Michelle Kenny), RLE Laught Bedazzled (Raf Sanctuary), RLE Egane (Kenny) and RLE Rocky Balboa (Tracy Walshe).

Kenny and RLE Egane were on the mark at novice level the following month at Killossery (2), while on another busy weekend for the rider she won two classes at Clyda (2) on RLE Cothopo (open intermediate) and RLE Poynstown Will (CNC2*).

Having been withdrawn after dressage at Killossery (2), there was a first win at novice level for Cooley Farms’ AKD Cooley Lockdown (Katie O’Sullivan) whose absence from the Irish squad at Le Lion d’Angers in October sparked plenty of comment.

Walshe and RLE Rocky Balboa claimed the CNC1* in mid-June at Annaharvey where the man to follow was Patrick Byrne who won the Connolly’s Red Mills Superleague O/CNC2* class on BGS Star Attraction and the intermediate with BGS Country Dreams.

At the end of the month, O’Sullivan and AKD Cooley Lockdown landed the Irish Sport Horse CNC1* for six-year-olds at Grove where there was a novice double for the Balou du Rouet gelding’s stable-companions, Lissyegan Cooley and Rock Cooley, both ridden by Bethany Burton. Disappointingly, because of the weather in the autumn, this was the only EI event held at Grove this year.

Clare Abbott and Euro Prince began their warm-up for Burghley by winning the O/CNC2* at Kilguilkey House on the second Sunday in July. The action was also marked by the victory, on his novice debut, of Caroline Bjoerk’s DSL The Entertainer (Elizabeth Power), who was to finish fifth in the one-star class for six-year-olds at Le Lion d’Angers in October.

On one of six competitive visits she paid to Ireland this year, Kim Severson won the Connolly’s Red Mills Superleague CNC3* at Ballindenisk (2) with the 10-year-old Diamond Roller gelding Cooley Cross Border who spent much of the summer at his old base in Co Wicklow. This pair went on to claim the CCI3* at Blenheim Palace in September for the USA.

Following nearly two years on the sidelines, the Joseph Murphy-ridden Electric Cruise won the O/CNC2* at Crecora (2). Roughly a month later, the 16-year-old Cruising gelding finished second to Ardagh Highlight in the final leg of the Connolly’s Red Mills Superleague, an O/CNC2* class, at Rosanna (2).

Murphy just failed to conclude 2017 with a win when The Mistress was pipped by Leapfrog (Emily Corbett) in the O/CNC2* at Lisgarvan House (3) on September 17th.