FOUR days after being named as one of two riders selected to represent Ireland at the FEI youth dressage European championships in France at the end of the month, Millie Cosgrave recorded a Junior double at the Dressage Ireland Eastern Region show in Marlton on Saturday.

Selected to travel with Let’s Dance, Cosgrave here partnered Louise Doheny’s San Rose, a 14-year-old British Warmblood mare by Sir Donnerhall out of Rosewould (by Rosenburg). The combination scored 70.38% in the Preliminary DI6 judged by Ruth Daunt (List 4) and 75.34 in the Novice DI21 judged by Mairin Cassidy (List 4).

Also in front of Daunt in this dedicated Junior section, there were uncontested wins for Anna O’Connor on Jumping Jack Flash (66.21% in the Novice DI27A) and for Oscar O’Connor with Funkstar (61.79 in the Elementary DI55). Eithne O’Kelly (List 5) judged the four-runner Preliminary DI5A where she awarded her highest score (66.61) to Amy Fox riding Little Miss Mocha.

Aoife Brady Dolan recorded a Preliminary double on her thoroughbred gelding Linkenholt, a 13-year-old chesnut by Robin Des Champs. In the O’Kelly-judged 18-runner DI5A, they topped the overall leaderboard on 72.32% while in the Daunt-assessed DI6, in which there were 16 starters, they achieved a score of 70.77.

At Novice level, 16 combinations contested the DI21 where Mairin Cassidy’s overall winner was Gerald Bloomer riding his German Sport Horse mare Sweet Flower (75.52%), a six-year-old daughter of Secret, while Joanne Logue topped Daunt’s scores (69.14) in the 12-runner DI27A on board Little Lottie, her seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare by Cormint. Riding the same horses, Bloomer and Logue both scored 69.82% in the Daunt-judged Elementary DI55 where Bloomer just edged it when it came to the collective scores (64.5 to 64).

Elementary

There were eight starters in that Elementary class and 11 in the DI52 where Cassidy’s overall leaderboard was topped by Kevin Acres competing with Con McCarthy’s currently unregistered ISH mare Greenogue Dilly (75.69%), a seven-year-old grey by Hector van d’Abdijhoeve who has 34 Showjumping Ireland points to her credit.

Acres was one of two riders who appeared before Bernie Foley (List 1) in the Medium DI77 where he recorded the higher mark of 67.57% with McCarthy’s Dutch Warmblood mare Nybola Turfhorst, a seven-year-old chesnut by Blue Hors Zackerey.

On board her ISH mare Furst Fendi, a 12-year-old by Furstenball out of the Limmerick mare Astoria, Nessa Toher Shannon topped Foley’s scores in both Advanced Medium classes, the DI90 (65.88%) and the FEI Junior Preliminary test (66.50).

Killian Gaffney saw off one rival when winning the Foley-judged Intermediate I on his Holstein gelding Coretto (66.91%), a 15-year-old son of Chepetto, while, in front of the same judge, there were uncontested wins for Marguerite Kavanagh on Danciano SR (67.06 in the Intermediate II) and for Josephine Delahoyde riding Barroso (66.20 in the Grand Prix).

Nine combinations appeared before Bernie Webb (List 3A) in the Medium DI65 where she awarded her highest score (70.94%) to Ruth Hayes on Sue Chadwick’s Westphalian mare Foxy Lady R, a liver chesnut six-year-old by For Gold.

The highest score Webb awarded in the day’s three Trailblazers’ classes was 69.44, a mark achieved in the Preliminary 5A by Alexandra Shortt on the Connemara mare Ballyvary Padraig, an 11-year-old grey by Ashfield Jovial Joker.

Youth Home Nations

Late last week, Dressage Ireland named those riders selected for the British Dressage Youth Home Nations competition taking place at Vale View Equestrian in Leicestershire from Friday to Sunday, August 1st to 3rd.

Among the 18 are six who represented the country last year at Mount Ballan in Wales, viz Abbey Ferris, Ellen Mooney, Maura Moore-McCune, Alex Potter, Darragh Whyte and Niamh Winter.

This year Ferris will be joined by her sister Lucy while also listed are Sophie Cathcart, Pippa Dunne, Tallula Hughes, Ella Kidd, Olivia Linane, Kate Moore, Sinead O’Regan, Clodagh O’Toole, Oisin Phelan, Cael Shanahan and Amelia Wheeler.