THE Killinick Branch of the Irish Pony Club held its Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championships qualifier last Wednesday week at Sleedagh where there was an excellent entry particularly at Junior level.

The hosts won four of the day’s 10 main competitions, starting off in Section B of the Intermediate where Keira Crowther completed on her winning dressage score (23.25 penalties) with Tomoka Spots, the 15-year-old Appaloosa gelding on whom she has qualified for the Intermediate combined training competition at the upcoming Dublin Horse Show.

Benefitting from show jumping errors by the two ahead of her in Section A of the Intro Intermediate class, Grace Day claimed the honours on her third-place flat work mark (29 penalties) with the thoroughbred gelding, Ask Jim, a 14-year-old Germany gelding. Second after dressage, Hazel Slattery was left in front following cross-country to strike for the hosts in Section C of the Junior competition on the Connemara mare Breolle Mist, a nine-year-old grey daughter of Banagher de Bregeon.

Sadhbh Whelan led throughout to win Section B of the Under 12s’ class with the 22-year-old bay mare Ms Arielle. Eleven-year-old Whelan was later presented with the much sought after Dawn Ward memorial cup.

The Carlow Branch fielded three all-the-way winners, viz Rosemary Dundon on the 16-year-old black gelding Mighty Max (21 penalties in the Intermediate, Section A), Niamh Tobin on the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Broomfield Banner (23.25 in the Intro Intermediate, Section B) and the in-form Emily Flavin-Redmond with the Dublin-bound seven-year-old Connemara gelding Ballyerk Paulo (24.5 in Junior Section D).

Despite a fence down show jumping, or thanks to her excellent dressage score (19 penalties), Bray’s Chloe Lalloo held on to win Section A of the Junior competition on the 12-year-old Connemara gelding Kildromin Mentor while Juliet Fingleton of the Laois Branch also recorded an all-the-way win in Section B with the 13-year-old thoroughbred gelding Vocal Velocity.

As with Flavin-Redmond, there is no stopping the run of Tipperary’s Anna Kennedy who completed on her winning dressage score to land Section A of the Under 12s’ competition with the four-year-old grey mare Maggie Mai.

Tomorrow, the Island Branch is holding its Red Mills qualifier at Frankfort Stud while, also down the east coast, the Shillelagh Branch is holding its qualifier on Saturday next, August 2nd, at the Tinahely Riding Club grounds in Coolboy.