LAST Sunday, the Co Limerick Branch of the Irish Pony Club held the first of five fun Minimus and Tetrathlon competitions in the build-up to the organisation’s Agria National Minimus championships at Killossery Lodge Stud in June.

The shoot and swim phases were held at the University of Limerick from where competitors moved on to the Clonshire Equestrian Centre for the run and ride phases although some participants, living closer to the venue, undertook their ride phase on Saturday.

There were nine starters in the Senior Boys’ Tetrathlon where the host Branch’s Sonny McCartan topped the final leaderboard with 4,016 points to his credit.

One of four competitors to hold on to his full quota of 1,400 ride points, McCartan was second in the swim to the overall runner-up, Duhallow’s Edward Healy (3,950). The winner of the shoot was the eventual third, the Islands’ John Asple James (3,896) while the run was won by Limerick’s Harry Buckley who finished fourth (3,863).

Unusually, there was just one more starter in the Senior Girls’ Tetrathlon where the honours were claimed by Duhallow’s Caroline Roche who was second in both the swim and run phases, third in the shoot but only ninth in the ride for a total of 4,186 points.

The run was won by the overall second, Kildare’s Katie Dillon (4,124), and the swim by the eventual third, Roche’s sister Victoria (4,060), who were among the eight who were clear in the ride. Meath’s Emma Quinlan started her day well when topping the scores in the shoot but then faded out of contention to finish ninth.

Junior Boys

His win in the shoot helped Limerick’s J.J. Power secure victory on a total of 4,553 points in the 17-strong Junior Boys’ Tetrathlon as his nearest rival, Tipperary’s Patrick O’Callaghan, who won the run and was joint-first in the swim, could only finish eighth in that phase. Both were clear in the ride, as were seven others including O’Callaghan’s teammate Jack Landy who, joint first in the swim, finished third overall (4,479).

The Duhallows were back on top in the Junior Girls’ Tetrathlon where 32 participants came under starter’s orders.

Their winner was the very consistent Aoibhinn Turner who was third in the shoot, second in the swim and third again in the run before keeping her full quota of ride points to complete with 4,464 points.

Turner was No 49 in the field while the runner-up, Ali Hughes, was No 50. That Carlow member was only 10th in both the shoot and swim but improved when the action moved to Clonshire where she finished second in the run and was one of 17 who was clear in the ride for a total of 4,316. Kilkenny’s Anna Rose Hughes finished third overall having amassed 4,270 points.

Eighteen started in the Junior Boys’ three-phase Minimus competition which was won by Tipperary’s Dave Hennessy whose total of 3,592 included 1,048 for his fourth-place finish in the pool, 1,144 for his win in the run and then 1,400 for his clear in the ride.

Only five others kept their full ride quota including Wicklow’s Benjamin Galligan who finished second overall (3,556). Limerick’s Archie McCartan failed to do so but his win in the swim phase saw him slot into eventual third on 3,474.

Of the 44 starters in the Junior Girls’ Minimus, 17 were clear in the ride and that number included the Limericks’ Julianne Kennedy who also won the swim and the run for a total of 3,676 points. Representing the North Kilkenny Branch, who are running a Pony Club hunter trials at Nuenna Farm on Easter Monday, Pixie Murphy filled the runner-up spot on 3,604 with Duhallow’s Olivia Roche placing third on 3,580.

Fledgling

There were just seven starters in the Fledgling Boys’ competition but six of them were clear in the ride.

The Ward Union’s Fionn O’Brien came out on top here in the swim and overall (3,096) with the run winner, Meath’s Harvey McCarthy, claiming the runner-up spot (3,038) ahead of the Wards’ Cian Greene who amassed 2,878 points.

Just nine lined out for the Fledgling Girls’ event where the win went to Wexford’s Faye Luby (2,882) followed by Carlow’s Aoibhe Doyle and Limerick’s Laura Foster who shared second place with 2,806 points apiece. All three were clear in the ride as were three others.

The next Fun Minimus and Tetrathlon is due to be held by the Duhallow Branch on Monday, May 5th, which is a Bank Holiday. The swim phase will take place at the Fermoy Leisure Centre but all others at a very busy Ballindenisk. Before then of course, those IPC members who were lucky enough to get their entries in will be heading to the Ballycahane Equestrian Centre in Crecora on Saturday next, April 26th, for the Mackeys Equestrian/IPC National Hunter Trials.

A chosen number of Duhallow members have been in training for the annual Greenvalley Transport Champions Stakes pony race which will be run following the last race at Cork Racecourse on Monday next, the third and final day of the track’s Easter Festival. On the Sunday, the Grade 3 Chase has been named in memory of the popular Lombardstown native and former Duhallow Branch member Michael O’Sullivan who rode his first track winner at Cork in 2018.