GILFORD’s Hollie Smith marked the first running of the Eventing Ireland Northern Region one-day event at Moyallen last Saturday with an all-the-way, clear-cut win on her dressage score in the EI100 (Amateur), with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Mr Diceman (23 penalties).

This was a sixth win of the season for Smith and the Ringfort Cruise gelding, who was bred by John McBride out of the thoroughbred mare Love On The Wing (by Winged Love). The bay is owned by the rider’s father Steven, whose day was cut short following a fall when first out on the cross-country course.

Another local rider on the mark was Lindsay Martin, who notched up her second success of the season in the eight-runner EI90 (Amateur) where, a bit off the lead after dressage, she recorded the only double clear to win on her first phase score (33.8) with her nine-year-old home-bred ISH gelding Meadowspring (Gortfree Hero - Drumreagh Diva, by Perpendicular).

Despite the addition of four show jumping penalties and 10.4 for time across the country, Ros Morgan won the EI110 (Amateur) on her 13-year-old Anglo European Studbook-registered gelding Vos Surprise (48.9). Unfortunately, this win was tempered by the tendon injury suffered by Denis Currie’s Merlot, who was in a comfortable lead following dressage and the only show jumping clear in the four-runner class, but was pulled up on the final leg.

One less started in the Bit-Media EI110 (Amateur) on Sunday at Tattersalls where, as her rivals erred across the country, locally-based Laurène Yviquel claimed the honours on her eight-year-old ISH gelding MHS Baracouda (Luidam - French Ballerina, by Diamant de Semilly), whose total of 46.1 included 5.6 cross-country time penalties.

Riding Gabriels Sarco, Nicola Coffey was the only one to beat the time across the country, when recording a double clear in the 10-runner DSE Equestrian EI100 (Amateur).

However, her dressage score of 35.3 was only good enough for fourth, as Zoe Kavanagh landed her fifth win of 2026 on board her father Dick McElligott’s ISH gelding Farrellys Tavern (VDL Arkansas - Farrelly’s Vision, by Classic Vision). Kavanagh and the 13-year-old chesnut had a pole down show jumping and picked up 2.4 cross-country time penalties for a completion score of 30.7.

In the 14-runner EI90 (Amateur), where the dressage scores ranged from 30.3 to 34 penalties, Edwina O’Connor failed to match her daughter Ciara’s EI110 (Open) success, when having to settle for second with Ashwood Reggie - whose total of 37 included six cross-country time penalties. Here, there was a first win on just their fourth EI start for the speedy Abbie Walker and the Liisa Ranramaki-owned and bred TIH gelding Tomboy Blue (Illaunurra Cathal - Our Pearl, by Oratorio), whose completion score included 0.4 of a time penalty over the fixed fences.