“LISGARVAN ran a great show,” was Michael Ryan’s verdict at the conclusion of the venue’s second Eventing Ireland fixture of the year last Sunday. “They had lovely arenas and the cross-country was top class; good and strong and very educational. It was a great galloping track, very fair, and the organisers had put in a lot of effort,” he continued.
Ryan finished first and second in the Overlander EI115 when two of his Ballindenisk-bound rides, JVK Eclipse and Lux Dam Good, finished on exactly the same score of 37.4. JVK Eclipse had the advantage after the first phase (29) before being demoted to second behind his stablemate when he rolled a pole in the show jumping arena. A faster cross-country round for just 4.4 time penalties saw him reclaim the lead, however, and edge his Jessica O’Driscoll-owned stablemate Lux Dam Good into second place.
A strong performance aboard Tullibards Benny’s Rainbow saw Ryan add to his tally by taking second in the Overlander EI115 (Open) on 39.6, behind Clare Abbott and the Gareth Carlisle-bred MT Kenobis Touch (33). While the latter combination was recording their fourth win of the season shortly after contesting the CCIYH3*-S at Cornbury, Ryan and Tullibards Bennys Rainbow will head to England shortly to contest the CCI3*-L at Osberton.
A refusal at fence nine cross-country put paid to the chances of dressage leaders Enda O’Gorman and Via Victory in the Overlander EI110 (Open), and in turn cleared the way for Sara Lundkvist to take the win with Sportsfield Super Star. They completed on their dressage score of 26.7, ahead of runners-up Jim Tyrell and Ellen Creed’s Novocana, who likewise kept a clean sheet in the jumping phases to complete on 29.5.
David Raeburn claimed his second win of the season aboard his own Glountane Corellie D in the EI110, when the efforts of joint dressage leaders Luca Bortolamei (Fernhill Cassalla) and Amanda Goldsbury (Cooley Lord Livello) were each thwarted in the jumping phases. The former combination left one on the floor in the show jumping arena before incurring time penalties cross-country, while the latter retired at fence 13 in the final phase. Adding only two time faults to his dressage score allowed Raeburn to climb from sixth to take the win on 34.4, while a quick clear cross-country saw Sarah Dowley move into second with RL Imperial (35.4). Lexi Kilfeather finished third with TDS Aurelia (37.5).
Three from three
Alyssa O’Neill rose from ninth after dressage to record her third win in succession with her chesnut six-year-old Knockalla in the EI105 at Lisgarvan on 33.9, after they were the only combination in the 17-runner class to maintain a clean sheet through the jumping phases. “Daithi was just superb at Lisgarvan from start to finish,” said O’Neill after her win. “I set out to do the three events in a row (Kilguilkey, Tattersalls and Lisgarvan) to grow his confidence and let him enjoy it. He exceeded all expectations by winning the three of them!”
Ian Cassells and Fraser Duffy shared the remaining top five placings equally among themselves, with each of their four rides leaving a pole on the floor in the show jumping arena. Duffy took second with Nadia Sabot’s Neverquitdreaming and fourth with Brigid Neill’s Rossdarragh Croker, while Cassells was third and fifth with two younger horses bound for the Michael Leonard class at Ballindenisk, Point Up and Springrove Rockstar.
Cassells also claimed the win in the Foran Equine EI100 riding Patrick Murphy’s A Good Call, with whom he had also won the five-year-old Young Event Horse class at the 2026 Dublin Horse Show when in the ownership of John Bannon. This combination finished on their dressage score of 27.5, as did Kelley Hutchinson in second with HSH Washington (30) and Alice Copithorne in third with AOD Achilles (32.8). Dressage leaders Caitie Slater and Tullibards Here And Now dropped to fourth due to the addition of eight penalties in the show jumping phase (33.3).
Little separated the two at the top of the leaderboard in the Treo Eile Thoroughbred EI100, where Joanne Corish and Lucky Des Liteaux finished just 0.8 penalties ahead of Louise Duffy and the legendary Al Boum Photo, both of whom added nothing to their first phase scores.
Bonnie O’Neill and the aptly-named Unbeatable Z led from the front to take the win in the EI90 on an impressive total of 23.5.
Anna Boucher-Hayes and Tykillen Timberland reversed places with Heidi Hamilton and Realta na Mara to take second, after the latter combination added four faults to their tally, while Ellie Tallis and Gortderryboy Sally claimed the Tony Walker Photography EI80 by finishing on their dressage score of 39.3, a win on their first start under Eventing Ireland rules.