THANKFULLY, given the very bad start to the day weather-wise on Sunday, the Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland held their monthly show at Marlton Stud last Saturday when Finn O’Gara won three classes, four doubles were recorded and Sorrell Klatzko performed her first Grand Prix on the home-bred Gladiator.

O’Gara narrowly brought up his treble in the five-runner Elementary DI51 judged by Bernie Webb (List 3A). On board Phillipa Teggin’s seven-year-old Irish Draught mare Toberpatrick Peaches and Cream (Dunbeggan Grey Mist - Smurnoff Vision, by Classic Vision), Category 3 rider O’Gara scored 66.48% as did Category 1 rider Fiona Huber with her 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Ballinteskin de Reve. O’Gara claimed the overall honours with the higher collective score (62.5 to 51.5).

O’Gara topped two overall leaderboards on horses, not yet registered with DI, who are being produced at Melanie and Neil Wrynn’s Ardeo Sport Horses yard in Co Wicklow where the rider has been based since the turn of the year.

The older of the pair, the Holstein six-year-old Ormy d’Or, who was awarded a score of 70.17 by Jean Halpenny (List 3) in the seven-strong Novice DI21, is on sales livery at the Co Wicklow yard for American owner Arianna Palmieri who is studying veterinary medicine at UCD.

Purchased in the Czech Republic as a three-year-old, the brown gelding by Origi d’Or (a son of Diamant de Semilly) is said to be a very good jumper by Ardeo’s Neil Wrynn and little wonder as he is out of a Quo Vadis I mare out of a Caretano Z mare. The Lancer II stallion Limmerick features further back in the winner’s pedigree.

Preliminary

The O’Gara treble was initiated in the Halpenny-judged Preliminary DI8 on the ISH gelding Foxy Dan, a four-year-old by Big Dan du Rouet. The chesnut four-year-old was purchased in June from Leanne O’Sullivan, a former journalist with The Irish Field now working as a marketing executive with Horse Racing Ireland, who had produced him on the hunter trials and working hunter circuits.

On 68.33, Celia Taylor comfortably won the three-runner Webb-judged Preliminary DI18 with her 11-year-old traditionally-bred ISH mare Mistral Rose (Clover Brigade - Hy Cruise, by Highland King). Webb also judged the Novice DI24, where the highest of the three scores was recorded by Bee Sykes on her Hanoverian gelding Con Caballito (66.5), a dark bay 14-year-old son of Christ.

The most notable of the day’s doubles was recorded by Joan Adrain, chairperson of the Northern Region of DI, in the third and final leg of the DAFM autumn development series where all four classes were judged by Dermot Cannon (List 1).

Adrain scored 73 to win the three-runner four-year-old class on her Oldenburg mare Fendi Jewel (Desperado - Zilia Royal, by Dressage Royal) and 85 to comfortably win the three-runner seven and eight-year-old class with her 2017 Dutch Warmblood gelding Mathieu (Fabuleus - Charlotte, by Waldemar). The Belfast rider also finished second here with Moviestar (72).

There were uncontested wins in the five-year-old and six-year-old DAFM classes respectively for Hannah Lynam and the Hanoverian mare Dark Diamond (73), a dark bay daughter of Donnersmarck, and Karen Burke with her Westphalian gelding Secret Desire (69.8), a black son of Secret.

Grand Prix debut

Two other riders recorded uncontested wins before Cannon, one being the aforementioned Sorrell Klatzko who did so in the Grand Prix where her home-bred ISH gelding Gladiator (64.78) was making his debut at this level. The tall, dark brown nine-year-old by Sir Sansibar is the first produce of the Hohenstein I mare Blue Eyes/Highlight who retired to stud with 269 DI points to her credit. Dale Roberts faced no opponents in the Intermediate I where he scored 63.82 on board the Anglo European Studbook-registered gelding Radmon Aachen.

The same two combinations started in the Advanced Medium classes. In the Webb-judged FEI Junior Team Test, Iris Walshe claimed the honours with her Dutch Warmblood gelding Leroy VZ (63.18), a Hennessy nine-year-old, but it was Amanda Sparrow who came out on top in the Cannon-assessed Junior Individual Test with her Hanoverian mare Santiago (67.06), an 18-year-old daughter of Sandreo.

Alexandra Frei and Roisin Winters traded places at Medium level. The latter won the Halpenny-judged five-runner DI65 with her Hanoverian gelding Rossini (67.5), an 11-year-old chesnut by Rossolini, but had to settle for second in the Webb-judged three-runner DI67 behind Frei and her Belgian Warmblood mare Quibelle van de Vlindervallei (66.56), a nine-year-old grey by Messi Of Colors.

In the poorly-supported Junior section, there were doubles for Lauren Blake and the 12-year-old grey gelding Cleighrane Warrior at Preliminary level and for Ellen Mooney with the Dutch Warmblood mare Mariposa, an eight-year-old daughter of Ferdeaux, in the two Elementary classes.

The Novice classes were won by Ella Kidd on the ISH gelding Sandyhill Aladdin, a six-year-old grey by Winningmood, and by Kate Moore with the 14-year-old grey mare The Blue Diamond. Two of the three Trailblazer classes were won by Ava Mooney on board the Connemara gelding Christopher Columbus, a seven-year-old bay by Kippure Columbus.