THE first of three standalone legs of this year’s DAFM autumn development series for eventing was held last Saturday at The Meadows where Vanda Stewart and Lucinda Webb-Graham judged the dressage tests in two well-decorated arenas before horses moved on to the Aaron McCusker-built show jumping tracks.

Ahead of their journey over to Blenheim Castle for this week’s European eventing championships, Sarah Ennis and Ian Cassells popped up to Lurgan with some of the younger members of their strings in search of the excellent prize money on offer. Ennis was particularly well rewarded with a winning double, while Cassells had to settle for second in both of those combined training classes.

Sixteen combinations contested the five-year-old division where Ennis completed on her Webb-Graham-awarded dressage score (18.7) with P.J. Hegarty’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Fenyas Email. The Jaguar Mail bay, whose dam, Fenyas Elegance (by Ricardo Z), represented Great Britain at the 2015 European championships, won an EI90 at Tullymurry in July, finished second in the five-year-old young event horse class at Dublin and, more recently, was fourth of 21 in the EI100 at Vesey Lodge.

A fence down show jumping didn’t affect Cassells’s second-place finish on Mary Phelan’s ISH gelding Bellscross Tysons Star (25.7), a bay son of Tyson who was fourth in an EI100 at Frankfort Stud earlier this month. Ennis had a second string to her bow here in Gerald Kilbride’s very consistent traditionally-bred ISH gelding Alabama Cruise (27.2), who had finished a place in front of Fenyas Email at Vesey Lodge.

No ‘Ordonnay’ horse

The winner at Ian and Alison Wilson’s Co Antrim venue that day was the Ennis-owned and ridden Dutch Warmblood gelding Ordonnay who, on Saturday, added to his list of victories when, on his Stewart-awarded winning dressage score (22), he saw off 16 rivals in the six and seven-year-old class.

The Jardonnay VDL six-year-old, who is out of Rowerna (by Iroko), scored narrowly from the Cassells-ridden Ballyneety Quality Cloverquin (23.2), Gerry Leahy’s 2019 ISH gelding by Lagans OBOS Quality. The more locally-based Steven Smith finished third, fourth and fifth on Drumalagagh Cruiser Jones (27.7), You Neek (28.7) and Sinetta (29.2).

On her return from Burghley, Rachael Thompson claimed the honours in the eight-runner four-year-old class with the ISH mare Garronturton Dollar (24.5), who has done a small amount of registered show jumping. Home-bred by her owner Lisa Rosbotham, the Hos d’O bay is out of the former Grade A mare Garronturton Beach (by Beach Ball).

Here, Ennis finished second on Susanne Macken’s home-bred Linky M (25.7), a bay son of Vivant van de Heffinck, with Cassells a place further adrift on Bridget McGing’s home-bred ISH gelding by Pointilliste, Point Up (30.2), winner of the four-year-old young event horse class at Dublin.

Poorly supported

The two pony classes were poorly supported. Only three combinations contested the six and seven-year-old division where Vanda Stewart’s winner, the Eve Lindsay-ridden Connemara gelding Glenomore Tom (26.5) was the only one to complete on his dressage score. A very consistent performer at EI100 (P) level, the Gwennic de Goariva seven-year-old was bred by Aiden Prior out of the Fernville Danny mare Rockwell Rosie.

One penalty point separated the two starters in the Webb-Graham-judged five-year-old pony class where Drumbo schoolgirl Zara Reid claimed the honours on Pine View Ice Cool (35) ahead of Abbie Harkness with Moneylagan Dawn (36).

The winning gelding by Ice and Fire d’Alban was bred in Co Louth by Sharon Walsh out of the Coill Rua Champ mare Cool Secret. At the Dublin Horse Show last month, the grey was partnered by senior rider Debbie Flavin to win the younger Connemara performance hunter championship for Co Waterford owners, Richard and Geraldine Power.

Despite adding four show jumping penalties to her winning dressage score of 29.7, Reid also won the open CT90 on the ISH gelding Major Cross, the 10-year-old Insatiable chesnut on whom she took over the ride at the end of last season. Freya Kennedy won two of the other open classes on her dressage scores, the CT100 with the eight-year-old gelding Roughan Roulette (24.2) and the CT110 on the ISH mare Roughan Balou (24), an 11-year-old daughter of Balou du Rouet. Both chesnuts are owned by their Co Tyrone breeder, Patrick McAvoy.

Also on her flat work mark, Hannah Blakely won the CT80 on board the ISH mare Miss Nonavic Diamond (30.5), a Carrick Diamond Lad five-year-old home-bred in Co Antrim by owner Sarah Kee.