THE Laois Hunt Branch of the Irish Pony Club held its leg of the Connolly’s Red Mills eventing series last Saturday when the usual large crowd descended on the very popular venue of Stradbally Hall where the hosts had just finished camp.

Section A of the Intermediate class was won by Newcastle Lyons’s Hazel Gleeson on a Pony Club favourite, Remondi Bobtail (29.5). The 20-year-old skewbald gelding narrowly saw off the 15-year-old Appaloosa gelding Tomoka Spots who, too, completed on his dressage score (29.75) under Killinick’s Keira Crowther.

Kildare’s Hogan Byrne followed up his recent win at Punchestown when landing Section B here on his mother Amber O’Grady’s AC Remus, another well-known pony on the IPC scene. Despite a fence down show jumping which saw them complete on a total of 27.5, Byrne and the 17-year-old Appaloosa gelding scored by an impressive margin from Wexford’s Emma Hickey on My Tangos Got To Love Him (39).

Also representing the Kildare Branch, Annabelle Dunne recorded an all-the-way success in Section A of the Intro Intermediate on the Connemara mare Meelicks River, a 10-year-old Buachaill Orga dun. The Killinicks’ Lily-Mai Berry completed on her second-place dressage score in Section B with the Irish Sport Horse mare Chillerella, a 15-year-old daughter of Chillout.

Three of the four Junior winners made all - Kildare’s Evie Holohan in Section A on the nine-year-old Connemara mare Annette’s Girl (by Woodfield Oisin), Carlow’s very much in-form Emily Flavin Redmond in Section B on the seven-year-old Connemara gelding Ballyerk Paulo (by Ballybeg J.J.) and Wexford’s Mia Kent in Section C on the 13-year-old grey mare Queenies Cornet.

In Section D, the Islands’ Robyn Fitzgerald and Westmeath’s Ruby Brennan were left in front on their identical dressage scores following the jumping phases and, as she had come home clear across the country closer to the optimum time, Fitzgerald claimed the honours on the 18-year-old Connemara gelding Lissakillen Mirah (by Westside Mirah).

The Island Branch also struck in Section B of the Under 12s’ competition thanks to the efforts of Freya Farrell who made all on the nine-year-old Connemara mare Illaunurra Robin (by Illaunurra Bay). In Section A, where two combinations topped the final leaderboard on their dressage scores, North Kilkenny’s Katie Murphy and the 11-year-old Connemara gelding Cartoor Larry (by Gurteen Cathal) finished closer to the optimum time across the country than Scarteen’s Georgina Purcell and HHO Wayne.