THE Mullaghmore and Castle Leslie clubs joined forces to present the fourth round of the North Eastern Region’s Equipet League last Sunday at Kernan’s EC, Crossmaglen, where James Kernan was course builder for the day.
Despite having so many members working on the ground, Mullaghmore still managed to win two of the graded classes starting in the primary division where, .27 of a second over the optimum time, Fiona McCarra took the red on her nine-year-old bay gelding Murphy Your Man.
With the only other clear on her second competitive outing, Border Counties’ Aurelia Sadzeviciute filled the runner-up slot on the well-known Cloncaw Smartie while, in spite of having one fence down, Mullaghmore’s Coral Lovelys slotted into third with Blackjack when 5.6 seconds over the optimum time of 96 seconds.
Mullaghmore doubled up in the advanced intermediate class where again there were just two clears in this two-phase competition, Orla Hughes claiming the spoils when coming home in 32.02 on Lisadian Love, a 14-year-old unraced thoroughbred mare by Winged Love.
Some way adrift on 38.17, Carole Smillie took second for Drynam riding the six-year-old Kilcotton Cross gelding Streamstown Storm. Clear in the first phase, Boyneside’s Fintan Sullivan recorded the fastest four faults in the second with his Dutch Warmblood gelding Pawaliezo to finish third.
CASTLE LESLIE SUCCESSES
The Castle Leslie club also scored twice during the day, their first success being recorded in the 23-strong advanced primary class by Grainne McMahon who was .28 of a second under the optimum time of 89 seconds on her chesnut mare Jojo.
Cheval’s Roslyn Byrne finished second (-.41) on the six-year-old Connemara gelding Lishmar Yorkie, who is owned by fellow club member Susan Kennedy, with Drynam’s Ailish Carberry placing third (-2.26) on Broxie. This was a very competitive class with eight other combinations also jumping clear.
Meredith Jackson brought up the Castle Leslie double in the two-phase intermediate class where 24 riders came before judges Heather Camblin and Ann Friel.
Fourteen were clear over the first part of the course of whom only three faulted against the clock.
On board the 13-year-old VDL Arkansas mare Miss Arkansas, Jackson broke the beam in 23.60 seconds to take the top points ahead of Dundalk’s Molly O’Connor with the 20-year-old Connemara mare Shanbolard Heather (25.15) and the Castle Hill pairing of Gary Monahan on Blackabbey Boy (26.91), a 12-year-old chesnut gelding by Easy Lift.
Three riders contested the open/advanced open class on Sunday, the honours going to Ashbrook’s John Gavin and his six-year-old Ramiro B mare Toome Ramiro Pippin, bred in Co Monaghan by Rose McGinn out of a Diamond Chin mare.
Gavin was a comfortable winner in 28.23 ahead of Castle Leslie’s Francis Duffy on Franko Billis Royale (32.92) and the latter’s fellow Eventing Ireland amateur competitor Caroline McQuillan on Foxtail Orchid (38.40) representing Border Counties. All three left the ring unpenalised. The fifth and final leg of the Equipet League will be staged tomorrow at the Castle Leslie EC, Glaslough, by the resident club who are starting the competitive action at 9.30am sharp following the 60cms-80cms course walk which is due to commence at 9am.
To be eligible for league prizes, riders must have competed in three rounds of the series plus tomorrow’s final while for the height classes, which will be timed for finals’ day, riders must have completed two clear rounds earlier in the series.
Heather Camblin and Ann Friel will again be in the judges’ box while the courses will be built by David Nicol.