Tara Dunne

NEAL Fearon made his first outing on Peig Van Amerongen’s Dree Boeken’s Grossos Roeschen count when winning the third leg of the HSI/Connolly’s Red Mills Spring Tour at Ravensdale Lodge last weekend.

With the advantage of a late draw in the timed decider, Fearon showcased the German-bred mare’s speed credentials by logging a time of 41.40 seconds to secure the top spot in Sunday’s €2,500 feature class sponsored by Ravensdale Lodge.

Fearon commented: “She’s a really careful mare so you can just keep coming forward and you know she will leave the fences up.”

Originally sourced by Fearon for Van Amerongen, Dree Boeken’s Grossos Roeschen was found in Belgium and formerly jumped children on horses’ classes with German rider Kathrin Stolmeijer.

By Grossos Z out of a Julio Mariner dam, the Hanoverian mare showed good form under Ger O’Neill last season, jumping up to Premier Series Grand Prix level before Van Amerongen took over the ride in June.

With Van Amerongen currently sidelined due to injury, Fearon has taken over the ride on all her horses. He was seen late last year with some of the younger mounts in the age classes but Sunday’s victory was the Co Kildare-based rider’s first class with the 12-year-old Dree Boeken’s Grossos Roeschen.

Fearon has a new string of horses this season, including Van Amerongen’s, and plans to travel to Lummen for the upcoming three-week tour.

Ray Buchanan set the challenge for the 38 starting combinations and his course soon narrowed down the numbers. The first fence came down a number of times throughout the class, while also catching out riders was a vertical set on a short five stride distance after the combination.

In the end only eight riders found the key to Buchanan’s track but 11 other combinations were denied a place in the jump-off by having a single fence down. Of these four-faulters, several new combinations stood out as ones to watch.

IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

John Floody has a new mount at this level, the seven-year-old Jacomar-sired Ballyknock Diamond while young rider Ellie Hughes with Mullentine Jetstream made an impressive debut.

Ethen Ahearne played pathfinder around the shortened and raised course in the jump-off with the Harlequin Du Carel-sired Electric Kiss. Ahearne put in a solid performance to set the opening standard at a clear round in a time of 47.61.

Conor McEneaney quickly upped the ante. Riding last year’s leading seven and eight-year-old in the Spring Tour, the Cavalier Royale stallion Moonlite Cavalier, McEneaney stopped the clock at 46.30 with nothing to add. The local rider’s performance would stand for eventual third place in the line-up and would also secure the leading young rider prize.

The lead changed hands once again with Kelda Morgan and the 12-year-old Touchdown gelding George the first to attempt the tight turn back to the final fence. Morgan at that point looked to have shut the door on the remaining riders with a time of 42.76 but had to settle for the runner-up position when Fearon later found a shorter route home.

Liam O’Meara was the first to take on Morgan but was put out of contention early when lowering the second obstacle with Curraghgraigue Jack Take Fligh. However his time of 47.65 ensured it wasn’t a wasted journey as the Tipperary rider put points on the board, finishing in seventh place and keeping his overall lead on the league leaderboard.

John Floody was the only rider to make it into the jump-off with two mounts. His first attempt came with the Lux Z-sired Shenick but, in his effort to catch the time, Floody sacrificed the final two fences to finish on a total of eight faults in 43.36.

The Co Meath-based rider came within striking distance of Fearon’s time with his second mount the eight-year-old Mise Le Meas, crossing the line in 41.60 but again the final fence put the pair out of contention.

Jordan Coyle was the only other rider on the day to make the grade for the jump-off but he too failed to keep a clean sheet on his second time out with new mount Amigo VH Winkenshof Z. Coyle faulted at the end of his round and, despite easing off the pace with the-eight-year-old gelding, recorded a very good time of 42.10.

Coyle had been on form earlier in the day, winning the 1.20m including the bonus prize for the top-placed gentleman rider, a voucher for an overnight stay in the four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk. Riding veteran campaigner Lakeview Magic, Coyle came out well in front with a double clear in 33.91.

Adam Morgan proved to be the man to beat in the earlier classes, winning both the 1m and the 1.10m with Sarco Pride. Just under a half a second separated Morgan from his nearest rival in the 1.10m, Ryan O’Neill with Roxborough Euphoria. An overnight stay at the Crowne Plaza was also on offer in the 1.10m for the eading lady rider, third placed Aedi McCaghey aboard Miss G Tracy.