THE first of two Northern Region events being held this month at the Dennison family’s lovely Loughanmore Estate took place last Saturday, when local riders won the bulk of the classes.

Continuous maintenance of the Co Antrim venue is obvious as soon one turns up the road towards the entry gate, while Andrew Napier, cross-country course designer and joint builder along with Charlie Sneddon, had put in a huge amount of time and effort, slitting and watering the cross-country tracks to ensure that the going was as good as it could be. The fixed fences did cause their share of problems during the day, but not as much as the time, with many riders unwilling to beat the clock on that phase. The Aaron McCusker-built show jumping courses in front of the main house also proved problematic.

Following last week’s enforced cancellation of the new Island Lodge event, the Dennison family kindly offered the use of Loughanmore for next Saturday’s Northern Region fixture.

“Loughanmore is as good an event as you could get anywhere,” commented James O’Haire, who won the six-strong EI115 (Open) on Penny Guinness’s nine-year-old home-bred ISH mare Jamaica Rose (Pointilliste - Nancy Belle, by Don Juan de la Bouverie), whose total of 32.7 included 1.6 show jumping time penalties. Talking to The Irish Field on Sunday, O’Haire continued: “Everything was just perfect there yesterday and the cross-country was super, asking plenty of questions.

“It’s one of my favourite events, but I hadn’t been up there for some time as it just takes so long to get there. I walked out my back door at 1.30am yesterday and walked back in it at 10.30pm.”

O’Haire also rode Silk Chiffon, who finished sixth in the EI115, while his son Tadgh (winner of a team silver medal at the recent Pony Europeans in Le Mans) was second in the EI100 (P) on Abbeyside Earl. This Italian-owned nine-year-old Connemara won a similar class at Kilguilkey on his only previous Eventing Ireland start.

“Dave Lee, who is a major part of our team, warmed us up yesterday,” continued O’Haire. “When we’re at home, riding all those youngsters, we concentrate on the horses and it’s only when we meet up at an event with Dave that we can concentrate on our own riding.

“I’m bringing the two I rode yesterday to Cornbury (September 9th to 13th) for the 3*-S, where Tadgh is also competing in the Junior class. Before then, he’s off to Scone Palace with Tiggy’s Trust.”

Sarah Ennis, who picked up a small number of time penalties in both jumping phases on the second-placed Dolmen Stellor Design (37.1), saw off 20 rivals en route to victory in the EI100 on board Gerald Kilbride’s five-year-old ISH gelding Kwish Arklow Cruise (Loch Cruise - Kennystown Cross, by Tabasco van Erpekom), the winner of an EI90 at Flowerhill in May on his only previous start.

Lucca Stubington and Magic Angelo winning the EI90 class at Loughanmore \ Anne Hughes

Jackpot

In the EI115, there were 11 starters and a local winner in Rebekah McKinstry, who completed on her dressage score (24.5) with the 10-year-old ISH gelding HVL Jack Pot (Lux Z - Highland Grace, by Laughton’s Flight). Alex Houston, who won the dressage phase with My Atlantic Encore (22.7), was unseated from the home-bred bay at the Haha (fence 13).

There were 11 starters and a local win also in the EI110 (Open), where Rachel Rendle completed on her second-placed dressage score with the 17-year-old ISH mare Ballybally Bay (Cyrano - Edens Princess, by Corran Ginger), who the rider owns in partnership with Lisette Kroes. A fence down show jumping and two cross-country time penalties resulted in Robbie Collins dropping from first to third with Dunrath Navigator (34.5).

Godfrey Gibbons, who finished second on the same score with Belline JHH Golden Spear, won the EI110 on Richard and Tanja Ames’s Belline J M Gosden Legacy (Vigo d’Arsouilles - Litany’s Toulon, by Toulon). This Jimmy Lawler-bred six-year-old ISH gelding (33.5) and the Ruth Lyttle-partnered sixth-placed Taylorstown Times (37.8) completed on their dressage scores unlike the 29 others in the class.

Lucca Stubbington and Jonny Steele were joint-winners (24.3) of the dressage phase in the 11-runner EI90 where, thanks to her clear jumping phases while her rival lowered one of the coloured poles, locally-based Stubbington claimed the win on board Sheelagh Kennedy’s newcomer Magic Angelo.

This five-year-old home-bred gelding is by Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve out of the Grade A mare Magic Cuidam, by Luidam.