THERE were 15 starters in the Intro Intermediate pairs championship at last Saturday’s Mackey Irish Pony Club national hunter trials championships at Ballycahane Equestrian, where the only ones to go clear were the Kilkenny Cats.

Also stopping the clock on a good time of 4.55 minutes were Anna Ryle riding Artic Star, who were second in their arena at the national eventing championships, and Meabh Hearne riding the eight-year-old palamino gelding Comeraghs Marko.

Thanks to parents/guardians, members of The Kingdom Branch of the Irish Pony Club have travelled throughout the country this year to support IPC activities and, at a venue closer to home than most, they had some good results on Saturday.

These included second and third-place finishes in this pairs’ competition, thanks to the Not Fast, Just Furious duo of Paige Murphy on Skerries Bound and Eimear Ambrose on Shirocco (five faults in 4.54), and the Turn Left, Turn Right pairing of Tara O’Sullivan (Midnight Spirit) and Molly Trant (Lady Dakoda), whose five-fault round was clocked on 5.04.

Better was to come for Murphy, as she recorded the fastest (4.06) of eight clear rounds in the 27-runner singles championship on board the 13-year-old traditionally-bred ISH gelding Skerries Bound (Dilshann - Ghareeb Sky, by Ghareeb). Also clear, her teammate Ambrose finished fifth on Shirocco (5.14).

The Kingdom pair were divided by Co Clare’s Annie Hynes on Tobar Hero (4.19), Wexford’s Mai Donovan riding Son Of Tillie (4.38) and Westmeath’s Sibéal Egan with Lancel Sunrise (4.53). Seven combinations failed to complete, three of them getting as far as the knockable 18 before receiving the big ‘E’.

Last year, the Intro Intermediate singles title (and the pairs’ championship at the same level) was won by Grace Day on the thoroughbred gelding Ask Jim. Last Saturday, the Wexford Hunt Branch member was crowned the senior singles champion on the same Germany gelding.