AS the 2026 Eventing Ireland season got underway last Saturday with the first of three Northern Region spring one-day events at Tyrella, the EI100 had to be divided, with 21 starters, including three hors concours pairings, coming before Janet Hall in Section A.

Her winners, and of the class on their first phase score of 23 penalties, was Laoise O’Farrell with Suzanne Maguire’s nine-year-old ISH mare Miss Mojito (Bunn Berry - Field Of Clover, by Ard VDL Douglas). O’Farrell and the bay rounded off 2025 by finishing second of 26 in the CCI2*-Intro at Ballindenisk in September.

Luca Bortolamei, who finished third in Section A, narrowly claimed the honours in Section B despite adding 4.8 cross-country time penalties to his Corey Mawhinney-awarded dressage score (27.3) on board Carol Gee’s Zangersheide mare Cassalla Z, a seven-year-old daughter of Cassall. Here, Nadia Sabot led the 20-strong class after the flat work phase on Sportsfield Supreme (25.3), but dropped right down the order with the addition of 12 cross-country time penalties.

Successful in the earlier EI110 (P), Tadgh O’Haire’s bid for a double in the 15-runner EI100 (J) on Christopher Robin 2 (29.5) was undone by the new EI combination of Susan O’Brien and Jane Hancock’s Goldman, who completed on their winning dressage score (27.3); despite additional penalties in both jumping phases, Anna Radford comfortably saw off 10 challenges to claim the honours in the EI100 (P) with Essenar Double Dutch; while, with eight cross-country time penalties, Samantha Dale narrowly held on to win the Amateur class at this level on board Keonan Hero.

A long day concluded with wins at EI90 level for Charlie Watson on her first start with her brother Zach’s former ride Toberpatrick Gentle Dove (unrestricted), for Rachel Booth on Melview Chester (P) and for Daniel Jeckle with La Joie du Pere (A). Lindsay Martin won the 12-runner EI80 on board the nine-year-old home-bred ISH gelding Meadowspring.