DENIS Currie, who is the Northern Region’s members director on the Board of Eventing Ireland, got his 2026 campaign back on track last Saturday at Vesey Lodge where he comprehensively won his second EI110 (Amateur) of the season from five starts with his Irish Sport Horse gelding Merlot.

Currie and the 16-year-old Lancelot gelding led the seven-runner class following Julie Green’s judging of the dressage phase, with two cross-country time penalties bringing their total to 28.3. Lucy Toombs finished over 11 points adrift in second with Bluestone Ice (39.5) on whom she had finished third of 26 in the CCI1*-Intro at Ballindenisk last September.

Ros Morgan (Vos Surprise) and Britt Megahey (R Showman), who were well-placed after dressage, both picked up 20 cross-country jumping penalties at the second element of the water at nine.

Currie had spent the previous weekend, from Friday morning until Sunday night, at the Barrier Animal Health Spring Festival in Castle Irvine, Necarne, where it was held by Area 17 of The Pony Club. He was there to support his grandsons, Isaac and Henry McCarthy, who, as members of the Iveagh Branch, had some excellent results at the Festival. Both were on hand to support their grandfather at Vesey Lodge.

“I’m getting the hang of Merlot (on whom he took over the ride from Symone Brown last summer),” commented Currie, who referred to Saturday’s venue as ‘superb’. “He’s talented but different and put in a wee sly run-out at Tyrella (3). His dressage will never be as good as Troy’s (Arodstown Aramis, now the mount of Isaac), but is slightly improving as we go. I’ve no major target apart from being competitive at 110 amateur level and it’s great to see the numbers in these classes increasing.”

Katie McKee’s bid for an EI100 Amateur hat-trick came undone at Tyrella (3) but she recorded her third win of the season from five starts with her 11-year-old skewbald gelding Water Paint (26 penalties). The top six in this nine-runner class all completed on their Corey Mawhinney-awarded dressage scores.

Juniors

Co Westmeath’s Maeve Deverell had two rides in the four-runner EI110 (J), where she finished on top with the 13-year-old Annaharvey Dunowen (27 penalties), her CCI2*-S winner of the previous weekend at Ballindenisk, and second with Annaharvey Rozendal (32.4). Both 13-year-old home-bred ISH geldings, who picked up four show jumping penalties apiece, are owned by the rider’s father Sam. The Deverells are aiming at selection for the European Junior dressage championships with Annaharvey Dunowen.

Riding her mother Julie’s Grafenstolz Distinction, Belfast’s Poppy McMurray followed up her Tyrella (3) EI100 (J) success when completing on her flat work mark (30.5) to win Saturday’s 14-runner class with the 14-year-old Grafenstolz gelding. Holly Blythe also finished on her first phase score with the seven-year-old Connemara gelding Mano Of Deerpark (31.8) to place second, just ahead of Joanne Cairns’s dressage winners, Katie McCarville and Red Ace, whose total of 32.1 included 3.6 cross-country time penalties.

The only cross-country jumping penalties incurred in that class were picked up by Abbey Ferris, who had been on 31.8 after dressage, and show jumping, with Merrywell Dignified Lady. However, her sister Lucy comfortably saw off her sole rival in the EI100 (P), despite picking up eight show jumping penalties and 3.6 for time across the country on their mother Mary’s 10-year-old Connemara gelding How Ya Sammy.

There were four Connemaras in the six-strong EI90 (P). One of that quartet, the Katie McCarville-ridden Blackfort Melody, led after dressage on 25.8 but with problems in both jumping phases, that combination dropped to sixth. Moving up a place to claim their first win as a pairing were Amelia Irwin with Brenda Turley’s 17-year-old I Love You Melody gelding Melody Maker (26.5).