A DUEL for honours at EI110 (Amateur) level in the Northern Region may well develop into a three-horse race before the season ends.

Glenpatrick’s Britt Megahey recorded his fifth win of the campaign on Saturday at Tullymurry where he completed on his dressage score with his Irish Sport Horse gelding R Showman (29.5), a Centre Stage 10-year-old bred by Clare Steele. Nichola Wray, who has four wins to her credit this term, again had to settle for second, on her flat work mark, with her nine-year-old Lislap Benedict gelding Dylan AKA Springhill Showman (30.8).

While it looked as if they just had to keep one another in their sights, Megahey and Wray will now be glancing over their shoulders as the region’s near perennial champion at this level, Denis Currie, finished third on the ISH gelding Merlot whose total of 38.5 included eight cross-country time penalties.

This was just a second start for the combination following Currie’s purchase of the 15-year-old Lancelot chesnut from Symone Brown who is returning home Down Under. Symone and her husband Jim have been staunch supporters of the Northern Region since they moved up from Co Dublin a couple of years ago.

Honours

The top four in the EI90 (Amateur) completed on their dressage scores, Rachel Ferres claiming the honours when doing so on her seven-year-old ISH mare SVS Zinno (28.3), a grey daughter of Dino W who has 69 Showjumping Ireland points to her credit. Also at this level, the pony class was won comfortably by the home-based Emily Turley on the lovely 18-year-old Welsh gelding Budore Mystic Magic (23.2).

Caitlin Woods landed the three-runner EI110 (J) with the ISH gelding Greygrove Delight, with whom she has qualified for the Junior/Young Rider event horse class at Dublin. Second there, Erin Mathieson topped the final leaderboard in the 11-runner EI100 (J) on the ISH gelding DG Cool Dawn. Second there, Maya Constable won three-runner EI100 (P) on the well-known Rockon Pedro.