THE first of two legs of the autumn eventing development series, funded under National Breeding Services by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and delivered by Horse Sport Ireland, was held last Sunday at Wexford Equestrian.

The dressage phases were judged outdoors by Rita Naughton (four-year-olds) and Sarah Jane Doyle, with the venue’s senior national course builder Pat Peare building the show jumping track (10 fences indoors) and the two cross-country tracks, which included an optional trot into the water.

There were good-sized entries for the three classes, with 28 starting in the four-year-old division where the honours, on his dressage score (29.25 penalties), went to Jodie Skelton’s Borris Donny Darling (HHS Cornet - Cavalier Cushinstown Cruis, by Cavalier Royale), who was bred in Co Wexford by Simon McCarthy.

Borris-based Skelton paid tribute to his wife Emma for her production of the Irish Sport Horse gelding, who they purchased privately as a three-year-old. “Emma has done all the work with his fellow. He did some of the Young Eventhorse Series qualifiers and recently, at Cavan, he jumped in four competitions, going double clear each time.

“We really only decided to do this leg of the DAFM series as it was relatively local - I don’t see us going to Milchem. He won nicely and is that rare mixture of a horse who is good enough to be top-class in the future, while also kind enough to be suitable for an amateur.”

Borris Donny Darling has been selected for the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale (November 9th to 11th), where he will come up as Lot 12.

Also heading to that select event horse sale, where he is catalogued as Lot 19, is another ISH gelding, Class J’Adore, who finished second here (29.5) under his owner/breeder Kathy Charlton. The bay son of Livello is a half-brother to the Warrenstown You 2 gelding Class Romance (CCI4*). Debbie Flavin slotted into third (29.75) with the Lagans OBOS Quality mare DENS Stride Ruby.

Viper strikes

Just short of 30 combinations lined out in the AE90 for five-year-olds, where the honours went to Kate Walsh on Fernhill Sporthorses’ chesnut Belgian Warmblood gelding Viper van’t Eigenlo (O’Neill van’t Eigenlo - Nice Gigi van’t Eigenlo, by Toulon), who joined the Kilkenny yard in mid-summer and here scored 25.75.

Kate Walsh and Viper van’t Eigenlo won the AE90 for five-year-olds at the DAFM autumn eventing development series in Wexford EC \ Horse Sport Images

Sara Lundkvist finished second on Paul Donovan’s ISH gelding Sportsfield Cool As Ice (27.25), a grey son of Coolkeeran who competed in the Young Eventhorse Series, with Lucy Latta placing third on board the ISH gelding Little Luck (27.75), a bay by Avos Jordan Z who has had one outing under Eventing Ireland rules and competed at the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show in August.

Molly O’Connor’s trip south from Co Down paid off when, on 26.75, she landed the 24-strong AE110/110 for six and seven-year-olds on her father Paul’s Lisbrogan Sarco (Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan - Trewins, by Hand In Glove), who won two EI100 classes over the summer.

Bred by the late Thomas Conlon and previously owned by Sarah Hughes, the six-year-old ISH gelding had four points in hand over two similarly-aged dead-heaters on 30.75. These were the Lillymai Walsh-ridden Irish Draught mare Chapel Hill Rose (by Bannvalley Silver Dancer), who has been placed twice in her two EI100 (J) starts, and the Mallin Sophie Meyer-partnered Irish Sport Pony Tullibards Here And Now (by Beckenbauer), who has a win at EI100 level to his credit.

Detailed results from Sunday can be found on WEC’s recently re-launched website, where one can also book schooling sessions in the dressage arena (for the next two weeks only) and in the jumping arenas.