GILFORD’s Steven Smith has partnered his quota of five rides at each of the four Eventing Ireland Northern Region one-day events at Tyrella this year, last Saturday’s quintet providing him with two wins and three other top six placings. His victories came in the divisions of the EI100 which he landed on his winning dressage scores.
In the Corey Mawhinney-judged Section A, Smith’s willing partner was Marshall and Sarah Riley’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Watermolen Cooley (26.3 penalties) on whom he had finished third on their previous start at Tyrella. The Voltaire seven-year-old was returning to eventing on that occasion having competed twice under Clare Abbott in 2023.
The Region’s riders’ representative, Jonny Steele, likewise completed on his flat work mark when finishing second in the 29-runner class with the seven-year-old Pointilliste gelding Point Of View (29) on whom he has qualified for the Star of the Future performance championship at Balmoral Show next month. Andrew Greer, who has worked tirelessly alongside Pat Turley on the ground conditions at Tyrella this season, placed third on his first-phase score with the 10-year-old OBOS Quality 004 mare Sharp Object (29.3).
Fiona Young awarded some very low marks in Section B where Smith made all to win with Campbell McLean’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Annaghmore Cornoko (14.3 penalties) while placing fifth on Lachain Lance (18). A six-year-old Pointilliste gelding, Peregrine Point (16.3), finished second here under Tegan White-McMorrow ahead of the Cathal Daniels-ridden Class Cut Diamond who, with 58 Showjumping Ireland points, was having his first EI start since early October 2022.
Bred in Co Offaly by Aoife Healion, the six-year-old HHS Cornet gelding Annaghmore Cornoko is out of the Dutch Warmblood mare Annaghmore Temptress (by Iroko). There were very few cross-country problems over the Adam Stevenson-built track.
In restricted company, other winners at this level included Rosie Coad on Dereck Hamilton’s 16-year-old thoroughbred gelding Barberton (Junior), Zara Reid on the 15-year-old British-bred mare Greylands Diamond Girl (Pony) and Katie McKee with her 12-year-old Je t’Aime Flamenco gelding Summit (Amateur).
Honours
The top six in the 24-runner EI90 all completed on their Joanne Jarden-awarded dressage scores, headed by local dentist Laoise O’Farrell who claimed the honours with Suzanne Maguire’s ISH mare Miss Mojito (30.3).
O’Farrell and that eight-year-old Bunn Berry bay were having their first EI start since late August 2023 while O’Farrell was recording her first EI win since late August 2016.
Kelsea Maginnis posted her second victory from three starts this season at EI90 (Pony) level on her mother Roberta’s Irish Sports Pony Atlantic Clover Star, a 12-year-old son of Moores Clover, while Dublin-based French native Oriane Brunaud made a winning EI debut in the EI90 (Amateur) on board her Hanoverian mare Adell.
Kirkistown’s Victoria Clarke landed the 25-strong EI80 on Jane Bruce’s thoroughbred mare Minnie Minx, an unraced seven-year-old Court Cave bay who was bred by the rider’s neighbour Siobhan Mackinnon.