LAST Saturday, the South Munster Region of Dressage Ireland held their summer show and championships at Ballindenisk where there were awards on offer to regional members only, classes confined to full DI members and registered horses and two classes which were open to all.

There were some high scores recorded during the day in the SM Regional championship classes, the highest in the 12-strong Introductory C. Here, Emma Hayward and her DI-unregistered US thoroughbred gelding Iskander Prince, a 12-year-old son of Distorted Humor, topped the overall leaderboard of Jillie Rogers (List 3) on 74.76%.

Rogers also judged the Preliminary 8, where she awarded her highest score (72.12) to two combinations, Anna Dangerfield on her eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Sammys Dream (Womanizer - Rineen Silver, by Fast Silver) and Allison Geary with the DI-unregistered Beau, the latter combination having the higher collective mark (66 to 65.5).

In the Novice 38, five starters appeared before Marian Slattery (List 3A), whose overall leaderboard was topped on 67.24 by Stephanie Cunningham with her five-year-old bay mare Ballymacadam BFM Lily. Slattery also judged the five-runner Elementary 52, where she awarded her highest score (66.94) to Maria Fleming Hand riding her mother Tracy’s 22-year-old gelding Bishopshall Joe, and the two-runner Advanced Medium 73 won on 66.53 by Cliona Ni Liathain with her Joanne Jarden-bred 13-year-old ISH mare MJI Lady Alceis (Antaeus - Thistledown, by Island Blaze).

Jillie Rogers judged the two combinations forward in the Medium 73, where her winner was Rosemarie Ahern O’Gorman on her US thoroughbred Khwarizmi (72.17), an 11-year-old bay by Algorithms.

Riding her eight-year-old gelding GFL Flashdance, Rachel Dowley was the only one to appear before Vida Tansey (List 1) in the Advanced 100, where she scored 67.57.

Among the Junior winners on the day were Beth Coveney with her mother Ruth Furney’s ISH mare Ballinrobe (Sligo Candy Boy - Silvano Times, by Silvano), the seven-year-old on whom she won the EI90 at the inaugural George Mernagh Tattersalls Horse Trials the previous Sunday.

Beth’s sister Jessica won the two-runner Novice 27A with Furney’s consistent EI110 performer Forans Daylight (OBOS Quality 004 - My Little Girl, by Cavalier Royale), a 12-year-old ISH mare, while Aoibhinn Schweppe was the sole starter in the Elementary 56A riding her mother Melanie’s Anglo European Warmblood gelding Billy Winchester (67.74).

Slattery judged two of the SM regional championship Trailblazer classes. In the four-runner Under 12s’ Preliminary 15, she awarded her highest score (72.50) to Stephanie Fleming on Orla Whelton’s 14-year-old grey mare Miss Money Penny. In the three-runner Junior Preliminary 15, her comfortable winner on 75% was Amy Hearne on her mother Jayne’s 15-year-old Welsh gelding Brandon Zimbabwe.

Six combinations appeared before Jillie Rogers in the Mini class (Introductory B), where there was another impressive winner in Rebecca Fleming with Orla Whelton’s 17-year-old part-bred Welsh mare Whiteleaze Secret Temptation (75.29).

Special success

There were six dedicated ‘Special’ classes, where only fully Dressage Ireland-registered riders and horses were eligible for prizes at last Saturday’s South Munster Region show at Ballindenisk.

The highest score (76.45%) was recorded in the Jillie Rogers-judged Elementary 56A by Claire Farrell on her French thoroughbred Renneti, the 17-year-old Irish Wells gelding on whom she won two titles at The Jockey Club RoR National Championships at Aintree last month.

There were four starters in that class and in the Vida Tansey-judged Special Medium 67, where Farrell and Renneti had to settle for second (66.67) behind Rosemarie Ahern O’Gorman and her 11-year-old US-bred thoroughbred gelding Khwarizimi (71.67).

Riding her 10-year-old Pura Raza Española gelding Flamenco CCLXXXV, Grainne Murphy narrowly saw off her sole rival in the Tansey-judged Advanced Medium 90, where she scored 65.29, while Rachel Dowley was the only starter before the same judge in the Advanced 101 on her eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare GFL Nava (64).

Tansey also judged the two lower graded Special classes, which attracted seven starters apiece. Her overall winner of the Preliminary 18 was Emily Kate Robinson with the 12-year-old French thoroughbred A Plus Tard (69.79). Laura Hagger topped the overall leaderboard in the Novice 27A on her 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Newton Devadasi (71.72).

There were 10 starters in the Marian Slattery-judged open Preliminary 15, where the overall winner was Anna Dangerfield on the DI-unregistered nine-year-old WRS Sun Rise gelding Ardfield Sunrise (72.86%). Riding her 13-year-old home-bred ISH gelding Eton Mess, Sheila Corrigan was the only one to appear before Rogers in the Novice 23, where she scored 66.29.