DONEGAL’S Megan McGettigan made her mark at the two-star Mediterranean Equestrian Tour fixture, which continued at Oliva last week, when she rode the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Killeenan Ted into first place in Thursday’s 62-strong Silver 1 1.25m class, where the pair jumped clear in 63.91.
McGettigan and her mount clearly have a solid partnership and recorded another win in Saturday’s Silver 1 1.30m class.
It wasn’t just Irish riders who were on form at the show, as the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare BH Gringos Legacy (Tullibards Benny’s Legacy x Gringos Colourfield by Colourfield), bred by Kieran Phelan in Co Laois, won Friday’s 1.45m Grand Prix qualifier with Guy Williams (GBR) in the saddle.
Williams then rode BH Gringos Legacy to claim the red ribbon in the two-star 1.45m Grand Prix at the venue on Sunday. The pair proved best of 39 starters and jumped double clear in a jump-off time of 40.88 - almost two seconds ahead of nearest rival, Alex Barr (GBR) on Preben van de Doornakkers, who had to settle for second place in a time of 42.59.
In the ribbons
Shane O’Meara on Miss Molly Malone VI (ISH) and Kenneth Graham on Altaskin Omerta were joint winners in the six-year-old 1.25m class on Tuesday, while McGettigan on Uptown Christov, Andrew Farren on Coletta Jeba Z and Graham on Lenamore Hey Boy were joint winners in the day’s seven-year-old 1.35m class. In the five-year-old 1.15m class, McGettigan on Rolex VG and Madeline Allen on MP Momento were among the joint winners.
O’Meara on Miss Molly Malone VI (ISH) were runners-up in Wednesday’s six-year-old 1.25m jump-off class.
On Thursday, the seven-year-old 1.35m two-phase special class saw McGettigan and Uptown Christov finish ninth, while in the Gold 3 1.40m two-phase class, Niall Talbot placed fifth on board Helios CH and Allen and MP Momento were joint winners in the day’s five-year-old 1.15m class.
In the Gold 1 1.30m class, Allen on Celah Sue de Rialfo Z placed seventh, Jenny Rankin placed eighth on Calido’s Santos PS and also 10th on Cool Motion.
In Friday’s Gold 2 1.35m class, Talbot and Mamzelle vh Marienshof placed fifth, while Rankin took seventh on Cool Motion and ninth on Calido’s Santos PS. Talbot and Helios CH then placed seventh in the Gold 3 1.40m class.
In the day’s Silver 1 1.30m two-phase special class, Farren and Nevada TE finished on the podium in third, followed by Zoe Keys on Luana in ninth.
Saturday saw Allen and Celah Sue de Rialfo Z finish on the podium in third in the Gold 2 1.35m class, ahead of Talbot on Mamzelle vh Marienshof in seventh place. Meanwhile, in the Bronze 1 1.10m class, Caroline Gibson on Clintendro placed seventh.
On Sunday, Charlotte Coffey rode Stakklinton into ninth place in the Gold 1 1.30m class, while in the Gold 2 1.40m two-phase class, Talbot and Helios CH finished on the podium in third, with Rankin on Calido’s Santos PS not far behind in fifth.
The day’s Bronze 1 1.10m class saw Aisling Byrne and Supreme Action placing 10th and, in the Bronze 3 1.30m class, Annie Gibson finished 10th with Azra van de Piewitte Z.