THE first Open class of the season was staged last Sunday at Flowerhill, where this Connolly’s Red Mills/Irish Pony Club eventing qualifier was run by one of the country’s smallest branches, Tynagh, in conjunction with North Tipperary and Ormond.

While all 10 Open starters completed, only two did so on their dressage scores. These were the winner, Wicklow’s Sorcha Vickers with the Dutch Warmblood gelding Interface (28.74), a 13-year-old son of Montender, and the runner-up, West Carbery’s Lucy O’Connor riding Rowanhill Luka Chan (29.75).

The flat phase winners on 27, Westmeath’s Evita Thomsen and Michael’s Pick, had a disappointing show jumping phase, picking up 12 penalties before going clear across the country to finish third on 39.

Despite the addition of four show jumping penalties, which saw her lose her hold on the lead, the Laois Branch’s Charlotte Roe ran out the winner of the Intermediate on the 23-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Silver Brog (Puissance - Cambara Lady, by Uibh Fhaili ’81), who represented Ireland at the 2021 European Junior eventing championships.

Here, where all 17 starters completed, the best of the rest was South Union combination of Samantha Hickey and CRH Charlie’s Freedom, who placed second on their dressage score (28.25).

There were 23 starters in the Intro Intermediate of whom six were eliminated while one retired.

Finishing on the only sub-30 penalty score, Longford’s Emma Kenny occupied the top spot on her joint-winning dressage score of 27.25 with the 12-year-old grey gelding Ruby Menlo Kelly’s Boy. Bang on the 30 penalties she scored in the dressage phase, Eillie O’Connor finished second for the Island Branch with Grove Street Lady.

Offaly’s Rosie Conlan recorded a clear-cut victory in Section A of the Junior class, when completing on her winning dressage score (21.25) on board Clogheen. Two combinations finished second on 26, viz Tipperary’s Isobel Landy on Samarah and the Duhallows’ Aoife Walsh riding Woodfield Clover Joker.

The result was a lot closer in Section B, where the Duhallows’ Grace Cronin and the Killinicks’ Caitlin Griffith, who had a show jump down apiece, were lying first and second throughout. Cronin claimed the honours on Newmarket Dancer (32.5), while Griffith placed second with Drinaghs Golden Lad (32.8).

The East Galway Branch got among the ranks of victors, thanks to Jed Dillon with the 11-year-old skewbald gelding Dartans Jumping Jack Flash who, on their winning dressage score (24.25), beat The Kingdom’s Saibh Prenderville and Sunny Girl by a point in the 27-runner Intro Junior class.