THE Boyneside and Copperfield clubs hosted the North East Region’s Connolly’s Red Mills/AIRC national dressage qualifier last Sunday at Killossery Lodge Stud, where those competing in the championship classes rode two tests apiece.

Ciaran and Laura Glynn and their team set up the arenas in Killossery’s Kruisette main arena where, thanks to the timing skills of Boyneside’s Sarah Richardson and Copperfield’s Jane Whitaker, competitors got to ride their two tests within 50 minutes of each other, which was appreciated on such a warm day. Both organisers/timers/scorers acknowledged the support they received from their fellow club members.

The RCM, RCE and RCN classes were judged by Bernie Webb (Dressage Ireland List 2) and Jean Halpenny (List 3), who weren’t too hard pressed at Medium level, as the only competitor to appear before them was Ashbrook’s John Gavin. He recorded a combined score of 134.4% on Holywell Spark (Cobra - Oneforthenotebook, by Contador), a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding bred in Co Tipperary by Jacinta O’Donoghue.

Fellow Ashbrook member Anne O’Dowd saw off two rivals, when winning the RCE on 139.2 with her Patricia Creighton-bred 19-year-old ISH gelding Until Proven Guilty (Inocent - Old Mill Mir, by Ballinvella).

The organisers were delighted with the increased entry in the RCN, where the honours were claimed on a score of 142.25 by Claire Maher on her Irish Draught gelding Gransha Midnight Magic (Lionwood Kinsales Lad - Minita Jezebel, by Hillviewfarm Milligan). Maher is a member of the Killcarrick Club, which is in the West Leinster Region. Ashbrook’s Louise Fellowes had to settle for second here with her 21-year-old chesnut gelding Caherbrack Tim (141.01).

Webb and Halpenny also judged the popular RCP2 class where, on 139.61, Castle Hill’s Elaine Mulligan topped their combined leaderboard with her 15-year-old ISH gelding DMF Alphabet (Mermus R - Annachmor Cailin, by Ard VDL Douglas). Two Drynam members finished close up in second and third. Regional secretary Laura Reynolds achieved a score of 138.46 on her ID gelding Barrywell Rachet, a 12-year-old son of Fintan Himself, with Naoise Traynor finishing on 138.04 with her 21-year-old Portuguese-bred mare Alcyon (by Corrado Fly).

Eighteen combinations appeared before Elena Satalkina (List 4) and Maire Quinlan Pluck (List 5) in the RCP3, where Fingal’s Nicole Groyer, an equine nutritionist with the sponsors Connolly’s Red Mills, claimed the honours on 145.16 on board her seven-year-old ISH mare Peninsula Paradis (Rebel Ballad - ISHD Coole Red, by OBOS Quality 004).

Here, Calliaghstown’s Maya Sammon placed second on her Connemara mare Birchill Drama Chick (142.01), a nine-year-old grey by Killea Island, with Castle Hill’s Sarah Cassidy slotting into third on her well-known 26-year-old bay gelding Woodland Badger (140.3).

Webb and Halpenny were brought back into play for the RCP1, where the first three places were filled by members of the Castle Hill club.

Canice Carroll topped the combined leaderboard on 135.62 with the former racehorse My Fellow (Arctic Cosmos - Oso Crafty, by Luso), a 10-year-old bay gelding who only finished once in three starts in point-to-points and three over hurdles. Natalie Haake placed second (134.27) on the ISH mare Dunluce Ruibin, a six-year-old daughter of Grandpas Diamond, ahead of Catriona Grifferty riding the 20-year-old grey mare Little May.

Three committee members from both Boyneside and Copperfield were charged with selecting the day’s best turned-out combinations and, following a lot of discussion, the Higginstown House-sponsored awards were presented to Fingal’s Nicole Groyer and Drynam’s Louise Kavanagh.

In the hotly-contested team qualifier, Ashbrook’s quartet of John Gavin, Anne O’Dowd, Louise Fellowes and Gerry O’Byrne claimed the win on a total of 418.24 and were thus presented with the Mags Aughney memorial trophy.

The Castle Hill club, who showed great support for the qualifier, took second (412.62) through their Blue team of Niamh Murphy, Sarah Quinn, Elaine Mulligan and Canice Carroll

The Connolly’s Red Mills national dressage championships will be held on Sunday, August 30th at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre. Meanwhile, before heading into a relatively quiet July in the North East Region, the Castle Hill Club are holding their summer show tomorrow at the Cheval grounds in Jordanstown.