THE second of the Young Eventhorse Series qualifiers, which serve as a conduit for the young event horse classes at Dublin, was held on Tuesday at Scarteen, a venue which has featured on the circuit since the foundation of the Future Event Horse League.

In the four and five-year-old classes, Britain’s Sue Ringrose and Jane Tolley judged the ridden displays with Paula Geiger and Una O’Donnell taking over for the Junior/Young Rider event horse classes. Throughout the day, Marian Slattery judged those forward for suitability and potential on the flat, while Dag Albert was the suitability and potential judge in the Derby Arena, where Audrey Geraghty was the official jumping judge.

England-based former Swedish Olympian Albert, a one-time high performance manager for the Irish senior and young riders’ teams, commented: “I saw several young horses a little insecure in the first part of the jumping track, then growing in confidence and finishing much improved for their round.”

Even the closest perusal of the scores in Section A of the five-year-old young event horse class failed to find a winner, with the honours being divided between Co Waterford’s Sadhbh Bolger on her own Little Miss Grantstown and Co Wexford’s Patrick Whelan with Julie Radden’s Tomgar Valour, both of whom completed on 305.5 and both of whom also qualified for Dublin last year.

Alice Copithorne, who won the Traditional Irish Horse working hunter class, also qualified when marginally back in third on Aidan O’Donovan’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding AOD Achillies (305.4).

The brown ISH mare Little Miss Grantstown is by Colandro and was bred by Jennifer White out of the unraced Robin des Champs mare Roses Robin, who is dam of this winner and one thoroughbred foal, a filly by Policy Maker. This is the family of Function Dream, Captain Chris and Baily Green. The Walter Kent-bred Tomgar Valour, an ISH gelding by Imnotafraidfortuna, is out of the Lansdown mare Overton Whitby.

On his only ride of the day, Ian Cassells recorded a very comprehensive victory in Section B, where he amassed 320.7 marks on Gerry Leahy’s GSA Lagan (Lagans OBOS Quality - GSA Athleague, by Tyson), who was bred by John Connaughton. The black ISH gelding made his Eventing Ireland debut just last Sunday, when he finished third of 35, on his dressage score, in the EI100 at Hillcrest. His dam is a half-sister to the Lancelot gelding GSA Lance (CCI4*-L).

Sarah Ennis had no luck with her two runners in Section A but, on 310.5, qualified on her only ride here, Gerald Kilbride’s ISH gelding Kwish Arklow Cruise (Loch Cruise - Kennystown Cross, by Tabasco van Erpekom). Bred by Michael Kenny, the grey has also had one run under Eventing Ireland rules, winning a seven-runner EI90 at Flowerhill last month.