ELLA Boyle’s Glebe Equine entered three horses for last Saturday’s fourth leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing league at The Meadows where they recorded two wins and one third-place finish at Pre-Novice level.

Although there wasn’t a huge entry for this class, it was divided to accommodate an even split of competitors throughout the day for dressage judges Coreen Abernethy and Martina McKinley. The former took charge of the 11-runner Section A where the Annahilt operation won with Assagart Treasure (75.3%) and placed third with Monbeg Dunard Blue (73.3).

The winner was partnered by Fiona Argue, who many of us would know better as Fiona FitzGibbon, while the Irish Sport Horse gelding Monbeg Dunard Blue, a Zirocco Blue VDL six-year-old who was crowned the 2025 Balmoral Star of the Future champion, was ridden by Ben Cousins as he was at Balmoral Park last May. The grey is due to head down the Eventing Ireland route this season.

The Michael Roche-bred eight-year-old ISH mare Assagart Treasure (Ars Vivendi - Assagart Jewel, by Bonnie Prince) won and placed second twice from three EI90 outings under Boyle in 2023 but, following an abandonment, had just one completed start in 2024. Due to Boyle’s business expansions, ‘Tiny’ didn’t appear on the EI circuit at all last year.

Argue, who graduated with a BSc (Hons) Degree in Equine Management from CAFRE in 2012, works a five-day week at Cian O’Connor’s Karlswood Stables as spa barn manager and equine hydro-therapist. Early last month, she was enjoying better weather in Florida where she set up the spa facilities for the O’Connor string, who are out there for the duration of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.

Argue helps her good friend Boyle out at Glebe Equine when she has time and was more than happy to take over the ride on Assagart Treasure for the flexi eventing league and, perhaps, some early season events. However, she and the owner were quick to point out that the mare is on the market. While studying at CAFRE, Argue had the opportunity of riding in point-to-points and, in the past, she had some excellent results under EI rules competing thoroughbreds.

On Saturday, while she was out in the wind and rain, Fiona’s husband Stuart was at home with the couple’s two and a half-year-old son Ezra.

Berni Muirhead split the Boyle pair on Saturday when achieving a score of 74.8 with her nine-year-old grey gelding Out Of The Blue, on whom she recorded one win and four top-six finishes at EI90 (Amateur) level last season. The combination were members of the successful Celtic Challenge team at Scone Palace in August.

In the McKinley-judged nine-runner Section B, where he was awarded a score of 73.3%, Cousins had to settle for a share of the winning spoils with Boyle’s Monbeg Comet (Abbeyfield Comet - Laughtons Clover Lily, by Nigrasine), who was making his competitive debut.

Purchased for €21,000 from Tomás Doyle at the same 2024 Go For Gold Sale by Boyle and her mother Mandy, this five-year-old traditionally-bred ISH gelding is being aimed at the Eventing Ireland Northern Region’s popular two-phase event at Tyrella on Saturday, March 14th. After that, he will probably contest the Balmoral Star of the Future Qualifiers.

Lexi Kilfeather’s drive up from Co Meath proved worthwhile as she shared the win in this class on her mother Everina’s TDS Aurelia (Tyson - Moonbeam, by Balou du Rouet), a six-year-old ISH mare who did a small amount of affiliated eventing last season.

This dark bay is another graduate of the 2024 Go For Gold Sale, where her present owner had to go to €35,000 to prise the flashy mare, who was then called TMS Moonbeams Strength, from Alyson Keane.

Junior rider Charlie Watson finished third on her mother Louise’s traditionally-bred Toberpatrick Gentle Dove (70.5), the nine-year-old Financial Reward mare with whom she is doing so well in the PlusVital Spring Series of combined training competitions.

https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/2020/ALI_1544.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Ddenis%2520currie

Denis Currie riding Merlot, clear in the 1.10m SJ during week four of the flexi eventing series at The Meadows \ Tori O'Connor photography

McCarthy remains unbeaten

The weather refused to play ball again for last Saturday’s fourth leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series at The Meadows, where the on-site team and the Eventing Ireland Northern Region’s legion of officials and volunteers were able, with the co-operation of riders, to keep the competition rolling for the day.

Young Isaac McCarthy continues to top the overall league leader board with Dawn Carlisle’s Suirvalley Little Monkey, on whom he won Saturday’s Intro dressage Section B (77.3%). He also picked up valuable flexi points with the 19-year-old bay gelding when clear at 90cm level in both the show jumping and cross-country phases, to head into today’s penultimate qualifying round with 48 league points to his credit.

Martina McKinley, who judged the 29 combinations forward in Section B on Saturday, awarded three other riders scores of 70% plus. These were Kaiti McCann with her father Martin’s ever-consistent 17-year-old skewbald mare Boyher Cookies N Creme (74.8), Helen Sawey-Quinn with her traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Conor (73.5), an eight-year-old grey gelding by Lacken Cruise Lad, and Michaela Donnelly with Mo Bhaibin Mhor (71.5).

Only one combination was awarded a 70%-plus score by Coreen Abernethy in Section A and that was Sarah Cowan with Patrick Heskin’s Connemara gelding Gleann Rua Storm (Coosheen Stormboy - Gleann Rua Hazel, by Westside Mirah). This win on 71 in the 20-strong class, plus their 80cm show jumping clear, moved Iveagh Pony Club member Cowan and the seven-year-old into second place in the league (41), ahead of McCann and Boyher Cookies N Creme (39).

There was a tie for second place on 68.8 between Heather Champion and Rebecca Millar, while Sarah Sproule slotted into fourth with Stanley (68.3). Champion was on board her ISH gelding Drumcara Red, the 2008 Cyrano chesnut who she first started competing with Eventing Ireland at EI90 level, mainly in the Northern Region, at the end of March 2018. Millar’s mount was her tall Irish Draught gelding BGS Ready Teddy Go, a 2017 bay by Offaly who the owner/rider also competes in showing, the pair placing fourth in the older ridden Draught class at Balmoral last May.

Having accumulated just 27 points to date, it doesn’t look as if former multiple champion Denis Currie will give his grandson Isaac McCarthy a fight for this year’s flexi eventing title, but he did record another dressage win in Saturday’s eight-runner Novice class, where he topped Abernethy’s scores on 70.5 with Merlot (Lancelot - Furisto Melody, by Furisto).

Currie took over the ride on the now 16-year-old ISH gelding last summer, competing the chesnut in seven EI110 (Amateur) classes, winning twice and only once finishing out of the placings. Merlot was previously campaigned by Symone Brown, mainly in EI110 (Amateur) classes and they were amateur champions at this level in 2022, but also in CCI2*-S competitions in this country where Brown represented Australia.

Tullymurry’s David O’Connor showed that he was ready for the season ahead, be that in eventing or performance classes, when second with the ID mare Inisharoan Orlagh (69.3), a seven-year-old chesnut by Moylough Legacy who was placed twice at EI90 (Amateur) level last season under her owner, Fiona Crawford. O’Connor also finished third on Fiadh (68.3), a similarly-aged ISH mare by Je t’Aime Flamenco who he and his wife Elaine purchased last year from Dean Salmon.

Once again, there were just two starters in the Intermediate class and, once again, Coreen Abernethy’s winner on 72.3% was Erin McCrea riding her father Clinton’s 19-year-old Hanoverian mare Eisfee (Embassy - Finale, by Foxhunter).