IRISH riders were out in force at the inaugural Scone International Horse Trials in Scotland, with Austin O’Connor in the top 10 in both the CCI4*-L (Ventura Rock) and in the CCI3*-L (Climate Change).

It proved to be a hugely successful replacement for the Blair Castle International and course designer and event director Alec Lohore, pulled out all the stops at the picturesque venue of Scone Palace and the adjacent Perth Racecourse.

Action got underway with the dressage and UK-based New Zealand rider Jonelle Price led the CCI4*-L from flag fall with the only sub-30 score of 28.4 with the 13-year-old gelding Capitane De Hus Z. Next best after the first phase was British rider Tom Jackson on 30.1 with HH Moonwalk, with Ireland’s sole representative, UK-based Austin O’Connor, on a score of 36.4 on the 10-year-old mare Ventura Rock.

There were problems throughout the four-star cross-country track, and only a handful of the 28 who completed did so within the time. Price added just 2.4 penalties to remain on top ahead of Sunday’s show jumping, while Jackson remained in second. O’Connor rocketed up the leaderboard, adding just 1.2 for time.

The top two places remained unchanged on Sunday, with Price adding just 0.4 of a time fault to secure the win. Jackson jumped clear within the time to secure second place. O’Connor and Ventura Rock added four for a fence down and 0.8 for time for a final tally of 42.4 for seventh.

Bred by owner Kate Jarvey, Ventura Rock is by Newmarket Venture and a half-sister to O’Connor’s Maryland five-star winner Colorado Blue (Jaguar Mail). Both are out of the Rock King mare, Rock Me Baby.

O’Connor was also in the top 10 in the CCI3*-L with Jarvey’s eight-year-old home-bred mare, Climate Change. Just outside the top group on a dressage score of 34.6, they added only 5.2 cross-country time penalties and then jumped into eighth place when clear show jumping.

Turnaround

Northumberland-based Emma Carmichael was outside the top 10 after dressage on 33.2 with 14-year-old Irish-bred gelding Tax Break (by Cobra) but completed cross-country within the time allowed. This brought her up to second place behind Alex Turnbull on the 18-year-old part-bred Clydesdale Harelaw Wizard, who also had nothing to add on Day 2. The show jumping sorted them out, however, and five fences down for Turnbull dropped them to eventual 14th, with Carmichael posting a clear for the win and Japanese rider Kento Nagura claiming second on Vinci De La Vigne on 33.7.

World number two, British rider Ros Canter led the CCI2*-L with the eight-year-old Broadstone Lion Man. The pair achieved a leading dressage score of 26 and remained on this for the weekend.

Canadian Rebecca Howard also stayed on her dressage score of 28.2 throughout for second place with the seven-year-old Dignified van’t Zorgvliet gelding Dolmen Cooley. Bred by Jack Murphy, he is a half-brother to Sarah Ennis’ three-star ride, Dolmen Stellor Design (Quantino).

Double trouble

Ennis lay within the top 20 after dressage (32) with DS Are You Calypso but picked up 20 on the cross-country and withdrew before show jumping due to injury.

Canter came close to a double in the CCI4*-S riding dual CCI5* winner Izilot DHI. From 87 starters, they scored an impressive 21.9 in dressage and held the lead over fellow British rider Laura Collett on London 52 (22.1). Their show jumping took place on Saturday and both picked up 0.4 for being one second over the time allowed, so the top two places remained unchanged until Sunday’s cross-country. Both jumped clear, but a mere 0.4 of a time fault again from Canter was enough to drop her to second spot by the smallest of margins, with Collett cruising round to finish six seconds inside the time to collect their 14th international victory.

Best of the Irish here was Sarah Ennis in 15th spot on a final score of 39.8 with her husband Niki Potterton’s 10-year-old gelding Dourough Ferro Class Act.

Meanwhile, the Irish team of Wendy Findlay (Hill Farm Pebble), Berni Muirhead (Out Of The Blue), Orla Sheehan (Bear With Us) and Maeve Sheridan (Hey Pronto) won the Celtic Challenge which took place at the Scottish Grassroots Eventing Festival at the same venue.