GWEN Scott won her first Festival supreme working hunter horse championship at the Northern Ireland Festival when John McDaid’s Tul Na Rí saw off all opposition in the Polly Coles Show Team Gold Ring at the Cavan Equestrian Centre last Sunday night.

“This fellow had done very little when I got him and that was only a couple of months ago,” said mother of two Scott who qualified the Glynnwood Cornet gelding at Connell Hill. “I thought the course on Sunday morning was really good, the fences were up to height with square oxers, all that you would expect at a championship show.”

Next week’s Balmoral Show is the upcoming target for Tul Na Rí who was bred in Co Donegal by Caitlin McKinney. He has been entered in the older middleweight class plus the five and six-year-old working hunter class and will be aimed at similar classes at Dublin.

An emotional but delighted Caroline Lynch finished reserve with the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Beenandunit, a six-year-old daughter of Kingstown Cavalier who had been purchased by Lucy Durack on Thursday night from Elsie Kearney. The latter travelled up from Co Wicklow on Saturday to support the horse in company with Anne Magee.

“We went all the way up to Ardnacashel to qualify this mare and Hio Easter Rose who we decided not to bring to the Festival as she is going to do the Dublin Draught qualifiers. For different reasons, I didn’t stay up in Cavan on Saturday night but I decided I might never qualify again so myself and Anthony (Lynch) loaded Beenandunit up and headed up the road. We were told the championship would be at 5pm but it was more like 8pm!

“I was in floods of tears waiting for the sashes to be presented, especially realising I’d finished in front of Louise Lyons (first reserve) and her Dublin working hunter champion (Clandeboye). Lucy is getting back into riding after having a baby so I’m going to keep the mare just ticking over. I’ve no idea what route she will take with the mare but I won a 80cm unaffiliated event with her at Lisgarvan.”