WESTMEATH’s Sofie Walshe won the second running of the Irish EBF Thoroughbred EI100 Challenge at Ballindenisk last weekend on her mother Charlie’s Ennell Shadow, who was having just his sixth Eventing Ireland start, his fourth at this level.
The six-year-old My Dream Boat gelding, who was bred in Co Westmeath by Sean Reilly out of the Supreme Leader mare Rubys Shadow, was unplaced in a point-to-point maiden, in four runs over hurdles and in one chase between early December 2024 and mid-July last year. Reilly also bred Walshe’s four-star ride Kinsau, a thoroughbred gelding by Indian Danehill.
The winner used to be trained by Ciaran Murphy, whose wife Emily led after Friday’s dressage on 27.8 penalties with the unraced Lily Bobtail, ahead of Ellen Holmes with Rastaman (28.3) and Walshe on Ennell Shadow.
None of the nine starters show jumped clear on Saturday, Walshe faring best of the top three when having just the one pole down to move to the top of the leaderboard, and there she remained as all nine were clear within the time across the country on Sunday.
“I was delighted with my fellow and that was his best performance yet!” said Walshe, a primary schoolteacher in Dublin. “This was his first time away for a night since we got him and he didn’t turn a hair. He was foot-perfect in his dressage test, the pole jumping was my fault, and, like all others in the class, he just ate up the cross-country on Sunday.
“My mother sourced him last year when I was away and she rides him for me during the week. I get help with my jumping from Ian Fearon and will work on that over the winter with a view to moving up a level next season, if he’s not sold. The ground at Ballindenisk was in top condition.”
Queally twins battle
With children back at school and some young riders heading over to Osberton for this weekend’s Pony Club Nations’ Cup competitions, there were only five starters in the CCIP2*-S where Gloria Queally beat her twin sister Georgia into second.
Winner of the CCIP2*-S at Ballindenisk International was Gloria Queally with Longwood Laura (CP) \ Zoe/Horse Sport Images
Kildare Branch member Gloria, who is on the Irish Pony Club’s 105 team at Osberton with Glenrock Lisa, completed on her dressage score (35.2 penalties) with Rolline O’Callaghan’s 12-year-old Connemara mare Longwood Laura (I Love You Melody - Lucky Star 2, by Curraghmore Cashel), on whom she was bringing up a four-timer.
Georgia accumulated 6.4 cross-country time penalties for a second-place total of 41.5 on their mother Rachel Brew’s consistent 11-year-old Connemara gelding Caraun Ferdy. Two fences down show jumping resulted in India Cox dropping to third with the dressage winner, Kinamara Lady Destiny (42.3), an eight-year-old Connemara mare.