THE Young Eventhorse Series organisers held Tuesday’s penultimate qualifier at the new venue of Orchard Lodge, the Co Kildare home and event yard of Kieran Connors and Michelle Nelson.

The wonderful facilities, good going and excellent courses were matched by the numerous, helpful volunteers who, like the officials, were well fed and watered. One of Michelle’s many tasks included collecting the ridden display sheets which ensured that she got her steps in for the day.

The international judges for that phase were Britain’s Tim Downes and Annabel Scrimgeour while Tattersalls Ireland auctioneer and Anngrove Stud owner Alastair Pim judged the in-hand presentation phase. Comdt Sharon Crean, Second in Command of the Army Equitation School, judged horses for suitability and potential over a track designed by Adam Stephenson and judged by Janet Kelly.

Competitors came from all over the country with two Co Down-based riders, Jonny Mulligan and Jonny Steele, finishing first and second in Section A of the four-year-old class.

Mulligan won on his father Robert’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Templeforde Lucca (263 points) while Steele slotted into second with the previously-qualified ISH gelding Clonagoose Romeo (262.3). Ellen Treacy finished third on the already-qualified Enniskerry Freestyle (258.9) with the second RDS ticket then being offered to the Paul Donovan-owned, Fraser Duffy-ridden ISH gelding Sportsfield Forever, a bay by Lagans OBOS Quality.

Templeforde Lucca was bred in Co Down by Trevor Patterson out of the Parco mare Tynan Orchid who had 185 Showjumping Ireland points to her credit when retiring to stud. “We’ve had him since he was a foal,” said Mulligan junior who works at the Megahey family’s Glenpatrick Stables north of Belfast while also keeping some horses at home.

“Dad does a great job of breaking them. He doesn’t ride but has them schooling on a lunge over banks and ditches by the time I come along to sit up. I wasn’t even thinking of doing any of the qualifiers with this fellow, or Sandra Hamilton’s Laganside (ninth in Section B), but they just both came to hand suddenly.

“This fellow went to two training shows and that eventing development day at Danescroft and that’s it. He was a bit green today but that’s to be expected. I hadn’t really thought about Dublin so I suppose I’ll have to now. This is dad’s first time to own a sport horse outright as he was mainly involved with National Hunt horses in the past. Today’s venue was top-class and a whole lot easier to get to than Wexford!”

The two ISH geldings who won the Burghley young event horse classes at Millstreet struck again on Tuesday, Jason Doerflinger narrowly landing Section B of the four-year-old class on the Ralph Conroy-owned and bred Milchem Giovanni (274.7), an ISH gelding by Tyson out of a Silvano mare.

Paul Donovan obviously has his horses in good form as his Co Tipperary yard bagged another ticket here through the Sara Lundkvist-ridden Sportsfield Luna who finished second on (274.3). One of two Coolkeeran-sired winners on the day belong to Donovan and bred by Thomas Hutchinson, this ISH mare is out of the Dutch Warmblood mare Fine-Quality-S (by Quality Time).

Ian Cassells claimed the second qualifying ticket on another ISH mare, Point Up (273.1), a grey daughter of Upsilon who was bred by her owner, Bridet McGing, out of the Pointilliste mare Diamond Pointe.

The fourth and final leg of the series takes place at Rincoola on Tuesday week, July 1st.