KERRIE Kerr scored her first Autumn League Grand Prix win in The Meadows EC, Co Armagh, last Sunday. Riding her mother Gillian’s eight-year-old gelding Marblearch, the 18-year-old junior rider was one of only two double clear rounds in the class to capture the win.

Speaking afterwards, Gillian Kerr said: “We are completely delighted with the win. We’ve owned him (Marblearch) for almost three years since he was five, but Kerrie has only been riding him for a short while. We sent him to a couple of other riders to get a bit of experience and since he has come back they have been getting on really well.

“He can be a bit nervous sometimes but once you are on him he is quite easy. As a partnership they are gaining more and more confidence in the ring all the time.

“I think that a couple of inside turns, one after the second fence and one after the double, combined with leaving a stride out to the final fence is where she (Kerrie) made up the time.

“He has quite a big stride and a forward pace so is good against the clock. We had planned to try and do the inside turn before the double also to save a little more time. But I saw a couple of riders that did it have the subsequent fence down, as well as Oisin Aylward’s horse slip and fall while trying it, so at the last minute I made a sign to Kerrie not to attempt it. Thankfully it worked out.

“Our plan with him now is to get a few more 1.35m classes under his belt. We will probably go to Cavan Show next. He is only eight so we don’t want to rush him and hopefully he will be ready for the young rider qualifiers for the Dublin Horse Show next year.

“It will be a busy year for Kerrie as she has her A levels but hopefully we can make time for both.

“This win couldn’t have come at a better time in our house last weekend because we had just heard the news that our fantastic 148cms pony Pauldarys Pocket Rocket, who has won so much for both Kerrie and her sister Natasha, has to be retired.

“She is 17 years old and is a firm family favourite. The girls are heartbroken that she won’t be competing any more, I hope to be able to bred from her in the future, we will just have to wait and see, so Marblearch’s win really did brightened up what was a pretty sad day in our house,” added Gillian.

Timing decisive

Sponsored by Craigavon Commercial Vehicle Dismantlers, the class offered a prize fund of €2,000. Just seven of the 21 starters qualified for the jump-off against the clock over the Aaron McCusker-designed track.

Timing proved to be decisive in round one with three combinations exceeding the time allowed of 77 seconds to collect a single time fault.

Of the seven that battled it out, one combination Oisin Aylward and Barry O’Connor’s eight-year-old Belgian-bred gelding Fintro De Lassus were eliminated after a fall. According to O’Connor, both horse and rider are fine and neither suffered any lasting injury.

Rachel Brown and Dstud Peter collected eight faults after two fences down. A further three riders, Stephen Gibson and the Irish Draught gelding SGS Welcome Louie (Oh Carol’s Rebel – Welcome Flagmount), Shannon Robinson and the German-bred mare Chardonnay and John Floody and Brian Kieran’s stallion HTS Blackrock finished on four faults.

Floody proved fastest of these in what was by far the fastest time of the day in 38.62 to take third place, while Robinson was fourth in 41.67 and Gibson fifth in 47.67.

The runner-up spot went to the only other partnership that managed to leave all the fences intact over both rounds - Orla Cassidy and her own nine-year-old mare Bridgesmans Olympic Star (Harlequin de Carel – Olympic Lux). They broke the finish beam in 46.34 over three seconds slower than the winner but still good enough for second place.

Kerr and Marblearch (Lougherne Cappuchino – Dancing Boy) stopped the clock at 43.24 and this would prove good enough to secure them their first senior Grand Prix win of 2019.

The next two 1.35m rounds of the Autumn league will take place tomorrow (Sunday, October 6th) at Kernan’s and Maryville Equestrian Centres.