EDEL Whyte, a digital content specialist with Horse Sport Ireland, bagged the first qualifying ticket for the Dublin Horse Show racehorse to riding horse championship at last Friday’s opening session of the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan.

Whyte topped the line-up in the open class on Dontbegonelong who she started re-training last November and on whom she competed in the Eventing Ireland Western Region Starter Series and in one leg of the Stepping Stones to Success league at Wexford Equestrian, both thoroughbred sections being sponsored by Treo Eile.

The six-year-old Arctic Cosmos gelding, who is out of a winning Sadler’s Wells mare, failed to finish in three point-to-point maidens and came home 14th of 16 in a Kilbeggan bumper in 2023.

The bay, who last ran in October that year, was trained in Co Wexford by Liam Kenny whose son James, a former top pony show jumper, partnered the horse on three of those four starts.

Whyte and Dontbegonelong claimed the honours in the Festival’s racehorse to riding horse championship where Chloe Connon stood reserve on the novice class winner, Largy Texas, a five-year-old Libertarian who ran three times for international event rider/turned successful racehorse trainer Stuart Crawford.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is important for any show or sporting occasion and the Northern Ireland Festival attracted support from a variety of companies and individuals, many of whom were acknowledged by the ring names.

A former champion young rider, who is especially remembered during the showing season, is the late Ellie McDonnell in whose memory the Silver Ring was named.

The other rings were sponsored by Knockagh View Equestrian (Blue Ring), Jumpinaction Photography (Bronze Ring), Cavan Crystal Hotel (Green Ring), Polly Coles Show Team (Gold Ring), Zenith Racing (Red Ring).

The Northern Ireland Festival raised over €1,300 in donations for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland through the lamination of competitors’ numbers last weekend.