MARLTON Stud’s Josephine Delahoyde recorded four wins at last weekend’s Premier Performance Dressage Ireland national winter finals at Castle Irvine, Necarne where she also oversaw saw some excellent performances by her pupils over the two days.

Although she faced no opponents in the Leinster Region Category 3 Preliminary championship, Delahoyde was delighted with Lynn Cadogan’s Westphalian gelding Mercury For Gold who scored 70.58% on Saturday and 72.815 on Sunday, completing on a total of 71.69% (179.12 marks). The five-year-old chesnut son of For Gold is out of the Sorento mare Solea KS.

On her second competitive start with her Dutch-bred Welsh pony Klein Roderijs Gold Fee, a 10-year-old dun mare by Veenstras Grapjas, the Co Wicklow rider claimed the Rider Airbags Medium Category 3 championship having topped the scores in the four-runner class both days for a combined total of 219.75 marks.

Delahoyde doubled up at the highest level with her mother Barbara’s tall Dutch Warmblood gelding Barroso, a 15-year-old son of Bordeaux. In Saturday’s Premier Performance Intermediate II championship, they scored 67.5% to see off their sole rivals while, on Sunday, they won the three-runner Premier Performance Grand Prix championship on a score of 65.815%.

“It was a brilliant weekend, not just for myself but also for my clients, but I couldn’t have done it without my great support team,” a delighted Delahoyde told the Irish Horse World on Monday.

“Lynn Cadogan’s Mercury was brilliant. I’m under no pressure with him this season and will probably do the five-year-old classes once they start. I’m heading over to England this week with Gold Fee for the British Dressage winter championships at Addington Equestrian where we’re competing in the Medium freestyle gold championship while I hope to take in a CDI or two in the autumn with Barroso.”