GIVEN the rainfall in the south-east of the country both before and after the event, it was extremely fortunate that the first round of the Plusvital Spring Series of combined training qualifiers at Wexford Equestrian Centre took place on Sunday.
“On Saturday and Monday, the outside arena where we held the dressage was waterlogged,” said proprietor and organiser Orla Roche, whose husband Pat Peare, a senior national course designer, built the show jumping track in the indoor arena. That second phase was judged by Ciaran McGrath, while Sarah-Jane Doyle and Jill Spring assessed the dressage phase between them.
“Using Google Docs worked out really well, with riders able to keep an eye on the live scoring throughout the day,” stated the ever-busy Roche.
In contrast to the previous weekend’s show at CoilÓg, which was also staged in the South Leinster Region, the classes here ran from CT80 upwards. The honours in that opening class were claimed by Island Hunt Pony Club member Freya Fitzgerald, who completed on her winning dressage score with the 12-year-old IPSA-registered gelding Aille Sinoia Scooby (30 penalties). This pair were fourth in their Junior arena at the Connolly’s Red Mills IPC national eventing championships at Tattersalls last August.
The narrow runner-up in the 13-competitor class was Carlow Pony Club member Emily Flavin-Redmond with her mother Debbie’s Connemara pony Galtee Honeysuckle (30.25). Just a five-year-old, this Kinvara Boy mare and her young partner also finished second at CoilÓg and so lead the league at this level, while, back in early December, the combination were on the winning Randox team at the Treo Eile Christmas Show at Emerald. Emily competed alongside Paul Townend, Lucca Stubington and Jane Davis.
Kenna dominates
There were 27 starters, and finishers, in Sunday’s CT90 where, on 25 penalties, Anthony Kenna led from start to finish with his own traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Downstairs, on whom he won an EI100 (Amateur) at Clyda in early June last year.
Bred by James Crennan, the 10-year-old bay is by the American thoroughbred King Cheetah out of a Crosstown Dancer mare.
Despite having a pole down show jumping, Finn O’Gara, a member of the Ardeo Sport Horses team, still finished second with another traditionally-bred gelding, Rathmorrissey Independence (29.25), a six-year-old by Welcome Grandpa. The grey is the first foal on the Irish Horse Register out of the unraced Tradmagic (by Traditionally), who is also dam of five Weatherbys-registered foals, one of whom, the Approve gelding Concur, won twice on the flat.
https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/Susannah%20Boxwell.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Dsusannah%2520boxwell
Susannah Boxwell riding JM Hillfield Double Diamond, winners of the Plusvital CT100cms at Wexford Equestrian Centre \ Justin Black Horse Sport Images
There were two eliminations in the 18-runner CT100, where Susanna Boxwell recorded a 20-penalty score on her Irish Draught gelding JMHillfield Double Diamond, with the busy John Tilley next best on 23.25 with the six-year-old ISH gelding Mr Springmount Paddy.
Both picked up four penalties in the indoor arena, which merely reduced Boxwell’s lead on the scoreboard with the James Maye-bred JMHillfield Double Diamond (Rebel Mountain - Corrin Diamond, by Welcome Diamond) on whom she won the EI100 (Amateur) championships at Barnadown last October.
The error proved costly for Mr Springmount Paddy, who dropped to sixth, but Tilley still managed to finish second, doing so on his dressage score (25.25) with Kilkenny International’s ISH gelding Borris Cornet Coole, a 2020 Castlefield Cornet bay, who last season won the Young Eventhorse Series five-year-old league.
On board Kilkenny International’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Horlepiep (Saffier - Ruata, by Iroko), Anna Stilwell recorded the only sub 30-penalty dressage score in the six-strong CT110. A pole down show jumping brought Stilwell’s winning total to 31.5 on the tall 14-year-old bay, who was campaigned in Britain last year having previously been successful here with Dominic Furnell.
The only clear round in this class was recorded by Michael O’Toole on another KWPN-registered gelding, the Grand Slam VDL bay Obsession AKA Ballybeg Obsession (33), a result which sees the Co Wicklow veterinary surgeon and the seven-year-old at the top of the league standings after two weeks of competition.
Also resident in the Garden County, Louise Bloomer completed on her excellent dressage score of 24.25 penalties in the CT115, where she and Martin Coen’s ISH gelding Atlantic Rockstar, an 11-year-old bay son of Beach Ball, faced just one rival combination. Having also won at CoilÓg, Bloomer and the bay now hold a five-point lead in the league.
Some riders paid €10 extra per horse on Sunday to school around the Derby Arena which will, of course, come into its own during the Stepping Stones to Success League, which commences at Wexford Equestrian on the last Tuesday in March. Another round of the Plusvital Spring Series takes place at the Tomhaggard venue tomorrow.