SUNDAY’s Leinster Region show at the National Horse Sport Arena (NHSA) was marked by the successful return to competition of Kate Dwyer who landed both Advanced classes on her mother Maureen’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Vaalserberg.
Dwyer, now the mother of two children, Sophie and J.P., partnered the 13-year-old S Creevagh Ferro grey to score 70.14% in the match for honours in the DI100 judged by Michael Moore (2A) and 68.59 in the FEI Young Riders Preliminary test where three combinations appeared before Bernie Foley (List 1).
Moore was one of two judges at the NHSA who had been on duty at Marlton the previous day while Tara Hayes was one of the winning riders to make a quick re-appearance. Riding her mother Fiona’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Ferrero K, a 15-year-old brown son of Apache, Hayes topped Moore’s judging of the five-runner Prix St George on 69.12% and Foley’s scores in the Inter I on 67.50.
Foley judged three combinations in the Grand Prix won by Sorrell Klatzko on her 12-year-old Westphalian gelding Turbo (68.59%), a tall brown son of Totilas, and two in the FEI Junior Individual test where, on a score of 63.68, Sophie Doheny initiated a double on her mother Louise’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Gucci du Feuillard. The Slieve Bloom Stud stable jockey and the 14-year-old Romanov Blue Hors bay completed their double in the FEI Junior Team test judged by Dermot Cannon (List 1).
Doubles
A double was also recorded at Advanced Medium level by Victoria O’Carroll on the KWPN-registered Laguna. In the Foley-judged DI90, O’Carroll and her tall, Valdez nine-year-old scored 67.21% to see off three rivals while in the three-runner FEI Junior Preliminary they comfortably topped Moore’s marks on 65.33.
Ruth Hayes didn’t waste any time in adding to her Saturday win at Marlton on Sue Chadwick’s Foxy Lady R by guiding the six-year-old For Gold mare to victory here in the nine-strong Elementary DI52 where Jean Halpenny (List 4) awarded the pair her top score of 72.50%.
There was a very close result in the 20-runner Preliminary DI8 judged by Maire Quinlan-Pluck (List 5) where young riders Lucy Ferris on Duncarbery Cascade and Tallula Hughes on Lightning McQueen both scored 72.19%.
With the higher collective score (67.5 to 66), Ferris claimed the honours on board her mother Mary’s 15-year-old Connemara mare by Harp King who she also events.
There were 15 starters in the Halpenny-judged DI18 where Ferris and Duncarbery Cascade (68.75%) had to settle for second behind Lorli Higgins and her home-bred Mystical Meg (72.71). The traditionally-bred 15-year-old dun by Ashfield Romeo last competed under Dressage Ireland rules in August 2023.
Abbey Ferris wasn’t going to leave the bragging rights to her younger sister and she too went home with a win to her credit when topping Halpenny’s scores in the 10-runner Novice DI24A on Mary’s Connemara gelding How Ya Sammy (68.50).
Ferris recorded a runaway victory in the EI90 (P) championship at Kilguilkey House last September on the 2016 Woodfield Sammy bay but things have not gone so well for the pair in that sphere so far this season.
Dermot Cannon judged the Novice DI21 where his overall leaderboard was topped by Emily Brooks on her mother Christine’s unregistered Ardagh Mayday (68.97%).
Brooks and this 2016 ISH mare by OBOS Quality 004 finished 25th of 50, on their dressage score, in the CCIJ2*-S at Charlbury last September.