ONCE an annual feature of the Irish Pony Society’s National Championships, the Tom Robinson Gold Cup, a three-phase competition of dressage, working hunter and show jumping, made a welcome return to the programme of this year’s show.

Co Kilkenny’s Nancy Lyons Teehan, who won the 90cms section of the TopSpec Gold Cup Sports Pony Final at Burghley last September, competed in three of the four classes at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre, winning two and placing second in the third.

The 11-year-old struck first in the 133cms division where she was third in dressage but won both jumping phases to finish on a total of 276 points with her mother Louise’s six-year-old palomino mare Dartans Seoda Ban. Five of the six starters completed all three phases.

In the following 143cms class, where all seven participants reached the finish line, Lyons Teehan had to settle for second on Dartans Brandonwell Jack (234). Here, the honours were claimed by Louise Dalton on Deirdre Kane’s former 2* eventer Monarch of the Glen (238) who is now 23 years of age.

Three combinations completed the dressage phase of the 153cms class. Two of these went on to tackle the working hunter phase but the only one to complete all three, which she won for a total of 300 points, was Lyons Teehan.

Here she partnered her mother’s very versatile Connemara gelding Buachaill Bui, the seven-year-old Cremello son of Templebready Fear Bui on whom she helped the North Kilkenny Branch win the team title at the Lyons of Limerick Defender/Irish Pony Club National Minimus Championships in Clonshire. Ridden by Louise herself, Buachaill Bui finished sixth in the young Connemara performance hunter championship at the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show.

Disappointingly, and the winner herself will agree, Aoibhinn Ruane recorded an uncontested victory in the 158cms class having completed all three phases on board Birol Nadir’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Zavy Echo (300). She and the 11-year-old Zavatar F chesnut finished fifth in the 158cms working hunter class at Dublin before heading to Mullingar.

Nancy Lyons Teehan and her younger sister Robin, who are competing for North Kilkenny in the Under 12s’ class at the Connolly’s Red Mills/IPC National Eventing Championships at Tattersalls Ireland this weekend, are then heading over to the British Show Pony Society’s Summer Championships Show in Grantham which starts on Tuesday.

Nancy will be competing Dartans Seoda Ban, Dartans Brandonwell Jack, Buachaill Bui and her Burghley winner, Newydd Lady Marmalade. Robin is entered with Tybroughney Cloud, sharing the ride on the 22-year-old grey gelding with brother Nicky George. She is also due to compete Mary Butler’s Welsh Section B mare Tynffrwd Carys on whom she won the Mountain & Moorland working hunter pony championship at Mullingar.

Ruane, who was presented with the Tom Robinson Gold Cup as champion, is not going to Gratham having already taken many days away from her summer job working for racehorse trainer Jim Bolger. She is however, hoping to take part in a side-saddle race over hurdles in Craon, France next month should she find a suitable mount.