WHEN he last competed here himself, in July 2011, Saturday’s joint-host at Vesey Lodge, Ian Wilson was eliminated having jumped the wrong side of a flag on the cross-country course.

The four-runner EI110 (Amateur) that day was won on Bering Strait by Denis Currie who, last Saturday, finished fifth of six with Merlot as Ciarraí Rice, despite a pole down show jumping, led throughout to win on Lady J (30 penalties).

Rice, who only started competing with Eventing Ireland in March 2022, six years after Wilson last lined-out, was winning for the third time this season, on the Irish Sport Horse mare Lady J, a nine-year-old bay daughter of Hallo Picasso.

Three of the eight starters in the EI100 (Amateur) recorded sub-30 penalty dressage scores. Two of them remained on those Julie Green-awarded scores but 2.4 cross-country time penalties pushed Samantha Dale and Threeseas to third place on the other side of the barrier on 32.2.

Gilford’s Hollie Smith got back to winning ways here when leading throughout on her father Steven’s ISH gelding Mr Diceman (26), an 11-year-old Ringfort Cruise bay, while Hannah Thompson, having returned from Pony Club duty in Warwickshire, placed second with Jemeela Charm (27.8). Britt Megahey finished fourth (42.9) on his Dutch Warmblood gelding Nelson, a Grand Slam VDL seven-year-old who had been brought up through the grades by Jonny Mulligan.

Green also judged the five-runner EI90 (Amateur) where Rachel Ferres completed on her winning flat work mark with her ISH mare SVS Zinno (25.8). This was a third victory of the season for Ferres and her six-year-old Dino W grey.

With a pole down show jumping and 2.4 cross-country time penalties, Bernadette Muirhead finished second on Out Of The Blue (34.7) who has 69 Show Jumping Ireland points and is out of a mare by Zirocco Blue VLD.

This combination were on the Irish team which won the inaugural Celtic Grassroots Challenge at Scone Palace last month.