THE final leg of the 2025 Stepping Stones to Success league was held on Wednesday when locally-based riders won three of the day’s classes at Pat Peare and Orla Roche’s Wexford Equestrian where the sun shone throughout the day and points and a half were on offer.

Irish Olympian Austin O’Connor flew in to judge the cross-country section of the jumping challenge, Ian Fearon continued to judge the action over the coloured poles, Anne Maire Dunphy assessed all forward for dressage and Johnny Kyle judged conformation and type, a phase on final’s day for all classes bar thoroughbreds.

One local rider in particular played a major part in the results as Louise Codd won the five-year-old final on her own Irish Sport Horse gelding Sam Bowie while Patrick Whelan, who topped the points table in the four-year-old league on Tomgar Valour, and Cian McGee, winner of the thoroughbred final and league with Carlton Gardens, both learned their trade with her.

The much-admired Sam Bowie, a bay/brown son of Lagans OBOS Quality, was bred in Co Roscommon by Pat Sherlock out of a Dry Dock mare with Codd buying the gelding as a two-year-old. “He’s on the market and there’s has been a good bit of interest in him,” said Codd. “However, if he’s not sold, I’d be happy to do the Dublin qualifiers with him.”

On Wednesday, Codd and Sam Bowie, who amassed 220 points, claimed the Childeric Saddles class honours ahead of Patrick Whelan on Sarah Duffy’s I’m Special de Muze gelding TMS Van Pelt (216.6) and Diarmuid Ryan riding Bridget Speirs’s gelding by the same sire, BT Just Special (216.1), winner of the four-year-old final and league last season.

Out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Robin Des Pres, BT Just Special also topped this year’s league leaderboard on 32 points with Sam Bowie finishing second (28). The Robbie Kearns-ridden, Richard Ames-owned Belline Kasparov slotted into third on 22.5. That Quality Time gelding was fourth in Wednesday’s class on 212.7 points with Sarah Ennis finishing fifth on the highest-placed mare in the final, Lady Sky M (212).