THERE were 12 starters in Sunday’s young horse class at last weekend’s AIRC Festival in Mullingar with five combinations going through to the second round on a zero score.

Here, four faults were picked up by Barnacarroll’s Jillian Cooper on her five-year-old home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Diamond Lady Luck (39.61), a daughter of Womanizer; by Killcarrick’s Richard Hunter with his four-year-old ISH gelding Sillan Flash (43.14), a bay son of Avos Jordan Z; and by Oakleaf’s Gillian Blanche on the ISH gelding Bellegrove Mr Morgan (49.82), a five-year-old by Mohill Cavalier Clover.

Clear in 48.20, Headfort’s Amy Symth set the early standard on her tall five-year-old ISH gelding Cornasaus Cornet (Cornetini - Cornasaus Pacino, by Pacino) but she was caught late on by Clonshire’s Shannon O’Mahony, who left all the poles intact in 41.51 on her ISH gelding DFE Lucky Clover. This combination won the four-year-old showing class here last year.

While most of the jumping was held on sand at the weekend, the Thomas Purcell-bred DFE Lucky Clover (Lucky Luck - Curryhill Clover, by Philip Clover) showed his versatility by coping with the soft ground conditions on Tuesday at Scarteen, where O’Mahony partnered him to a win in the middle/heavyweight working hunter qualifier for Dublin. In Saturday’s senior riders’ class, Westport’s Margaret Kelly with her eight-year-old chesnut gelding Derradda Seamus and Mona Purcell with her 12-year-old bay mare Balladubh Lady had to settle for second and third respectively, behind Glenway’s John Miland, who was closest to the optimum time on his 19-year-old ISH mare Huntingfield Holly (Huntingfield Rebel - Merry Heidi, by Merry Mate).