COMPETITORS from right across the island converged on Scarteen on Tuesday for the second of this this year’s Young Eventhorse Series qualifiers with league points and Dublin Horse Show qualifying tickets heading north, south, east and west by day’s end.

The judging panel consisted of Britain’s Les Smith and Beanie Sturgis (ridden display), Marian Slattery (suitability and potential in the presentation phase), Audrey Hannan (jump), Callie Berry (S&P jump for the four and five-year-old classes) and Maurice Coleman (S&P jump for the Junior and Young Rider classes).

“The YES! competition series appears to be a solid and reliable way to showcase Ireland’s best four and five-year-old event horses,” commented Sturgis who, on her last competitive visit to this country won the CCI2* at Ballindenisk on Catch Me 51. “The standard of training and presentation was strong and there were some outstanding youngsters. Having the TB% as a factor in the marking is a great concept as it is vital to keep the toughness, brain and stamina of this breed as a driving force in the modern event horse.”

The winner with the highest percentage of TB blood on Tuesday was the Sadhbh Bolger-owned and ridden Grantstown Lottie who topped Section A of the four-year-old class on 283.5 points. Not officially-named, this brown filly by Colandro was bred in Co Meath by Jennifer White out of the unraced Roses Robin (by Robin Des Champs).

The very much in-form John Tilley finished second on the Dignified van’t Zorgvliet mare Goldburgs Sister Act (280.9), who had qualified a week earlier at Tullylish; Jason Doerflinger secured an RDS ticket when placing third on the Tyson gelding Milchem Giovanni (280.7), Ralph Conroy’s home-bred winner of the four-year-old Burghley young event horse class at Millstreet; and Daniel Alderson gained RDS qualification when fourth with Oliver Steele’s Vivant van de Heffinck mare Urlanmore Vivant Cruise (274.8). The last-named had been ‘led out unsold’ at the 2024 Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale.

Ciaran Moran, who won the four-year-old class at Dublin last August, took the first step in defending his title when landing Section B on Tuesday with Eleanor Widger’s Rathnageera Carraiganard Bruce (278.7) who was bred in Co Wexford by Andrew Stamp. The bay Jorado gelding is out of the traditionally-bred Nigrasine mare Rathnageera Bell.

John Bannon qualified his sole ridden horse for this season when second here on A Good Call (273.6), his winner of the potential event horse class at Dublin last August. This black gelding, who is a member of the first crop of the recently sold Rock ‘N Roll Ter Putte, was bred in Co Tipperary by William McDonnell Jnr out of the Harlequin du Carel mare Lucys Harle. Bannon wasn’t too troubled when this fellow failed to find a new home at last year’s Go For Gold Sale.