CHRIS and Sue Ryan judged last Sunday’s second leg of the Eventing Ireland Western Region’s Berts Properties Starter Series at the Milchem Equestrian Centre of regional chair, Ralph Conroy, the day’s course builder.
His track started out over eight show jumping fences, followed by between nine and 11 very well-dressed cross-country fences, which included water and a bank, depending on the class. The jumping phase proved influential in the pony and four-year-old classes.
For the second week running, Jason Doerflinger filled three of the top four placings in the Sligo Candy Boy four-year-old class, qualifying in first with a clear round on Liam Lynskey’s Smok N Gun (57.5 points). The bay by DS Shotgun was bred in Co Sligo by Felix Burke out of the Pacino mare Aimess Pacino.
The home-based Doerflinger finished second and fourth on the previously-qualified Milchem Margo (54.25), who competed on her flat work mark, and Milchem I Am (48.25), who picked up eight jumping penalties.
Eoin Clinton qualified in third with Jimmy Dermody’s home-bred ISH gelding Tankardstown Hilite, a grey son of Hors d’O, who lowered one of the fences.
Five-year-olds
In the Derryronane Stud-sponsored five-year-old class, Doerflinger secured another ride in the final when winning on board the Gabriel Mullins-bred ISH gelding Codys Delight (Vancouver - Glynnwood Atermie, by Mermus R), who has done some affiliated show jumping this year with Vicky Foster.
Also based at Milchem, Scotland’s Duncan McFadyen finished second (58.5) with the previously-qualified The Ring Of Diamonds (58.5), while Gabriel Freeney secured a qualifying ticket when placing third with Rathmorrissey Greenacres (58), a grey son of Ringfort Cruise.
The decision to run a class for six-year-olds only (previously it was for six and seven-year-olds) will no doubt be reviewed at the end of the series, as there were no starters at Glenamaddy and just one in the Drumhowan Stud-sponsored class on Sunday, the Becky Scott-partnered ISH mare FS Stormborn (Lagans OBOS Quality - Fun Size, by Captain Clover).
https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/2020/20260308-AD6_1737.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Djason%2520doerflinger
Jason Doerflinger and Cody's Delight won the five-year-old class \ Aisling Deverell
Ponies and draughts
The jumping phase had a major effect in the Milchem Equestrian ponies’ class, where there were three eliminations and one retirement among the 10 starters. The only clear round was recorded by the winning combination of Katie Jane Murphy and her mother Margaret’s Traditional ISH gelding Leo Luna (Luan Cincise - Lady Augusta, by Coral Lad).
Bred by Patricia O’Donnell, the five-year-old, who has 18 Show Jumping Ireland points to his credit, won here on a score of 52 points. Also qualifying in second and third were the Rowan Freeney-ridden Rathmorrissey Blossom Hill (50.75) and the Ciara Dennigan-partnered Flower Of Roo (49), both of whom picked up four jumping penalties.
As there was no Balmoral qualifier last weekend, it wasn’t surprising to see the number of starters in the four and five-year-old Irish Draught qualifier increase from one to eight. Here the winner was Co Meath’s Caroline Lynch, a regular competitor in the Starter Series, who recorded one of five jumping clears with her own 2022 gelding Rebel Bandit (Rebel Mountain - Bramblebough Aisling, by Dunbeggan Grey Mist).
Lynch and the Gerard Fallon-bred grey, who competed at the Dressage Ireland Eastern Region show at Marlton on Saturday where they comfortably topped the scores in the non-restricted Preliminary class, claimed the honours with 58 points. Duncan McFadyen qualified in second with Marmaduke (57.75), a four-year-old chesnut who had competed at The Meadows the previous weekend.
On a flat work mark of 59 points, McFadyen won the six-year-old and upwards ID class with Sean Barker’s seven-year-old stallion Bawnbally Diamond (Carrabawn Cross - Ballynadrimma Lass, by Drumri). Bred in Co Meath by Julianne Corrigan, this grey had also been in action at The Meadows. Qualifying in second in this four-runner class was Amy Grady with the six-year-old Farmhill Highlander gelding Murrisk Paudie (58.5), on whom she finished fourth in the younger performance ID class at Dublin last August.
Thoroughbreds
There were just two starters in the Treo Eile thoroughbred class, which Sofie Walshe won on her flat work mark (57.5) with the much-admired 17-year-old gelding Kinsau (Indian Danehill - Adonia, by Beneficial) who, on the last of three eventing starts last year, finished second of 29 in the CCI2*-S at Millstreet.
Katelyn Young was a close-up second with Alex D (55).
Three of the 11 starters in the Gerry Daniels Timber Harvesting and Callatra Stables open class were eliminated in the jumping phase, while the only one to go clear, and qualify in second, was Caroline Devine with her 16-year-old Connemara mare Rockwell Bonnie (143).
Donnacha Anhold, who had two rides in the class, qualified in first with his Ann O’Grady-bred nine-year-old ISH gelding Rushfield Ballingowan (Hype - Ballingowan Boula, by Master Imp), who picked up four penalties on the second phase for a total of 148, but failed to do so with the fourth-placed Rushfield Gortemore Colandro (141).
Anhold, who took a break from eventing for a couple of years, began his return in 2024 but committed himself more to the discipline last year when he had mixed results with Rushfield Ballingowan, whose best performance was when third of 21 in an EI90 at Clonmahon House in late July.
This week’s winner of the Sea Warrior Sea Supplements best turned-out award was Michelle Geraghty with the six-year-old dun gelding Sternbergs Golden Empire. Apologies to Gabriel Freeney of Rathmorrissey Lodge, who I failed to list as last week’s winner with his ISH gelding Rathmorrissey Soldado, a five-year-old bay by Glen Moss.