YOUNG rider Emma McEntee and Gortacar Stables’ Suspicious Minds 005 (OBOS Quality 004 - Walterstown Girl, Cruising) were victorious in the first round of the six-year-old HSI Autumn Development Series at Kernans and secured the majority of the €4,000 on offer.

Bred by Ralph Morgan, McEntee has been riding the gelding since June and they have consistently produced double-clear rounds at 1.20m and 1.25m throughout the summer.

A baker’s dozen of 13 made up the start list for this two-phase competition, and of these just four left all the fences intact through both phases. McEntee was second last to go and used the draw to her advantage with a well thought out second round which saw her deliver the only sub-30 second round, stopping the clock at 29.87.

Long-time leaders Derek McConnell and Sorcha Hennessy’s gelding Inlaws Manolo (Corland x Lord Z) had held the top-spot for the majority of the class when they set the target at 30.79 as third to go; they eventually had to settle for second place in the final line-up.

Edward Little and Kevin Byrne’s Drumiller Daytona (Siec Livello x Laughton’s Flight), bred by Paul Dillon, took third in 33.67.

Fourth and the only other double clear went to Richard Kerins and Dermott Gormanly’s Marius CK (Marius Claudius x Quality Time) in 34.73.

Whitetree Endeavour (Vancouver x Telling Tales) and owner/rider Orla Cassidy had collected four faults when they had a fence down in round one, they followed this with a second round clear in 33.83 and slotted into fifth place.

Richard Kerins and his second mount, another by Marius Claudius, RSK Lux Like Marius, out of Roadstown Lux (Lux Z) finished sixth after a fence down in the second round in 36.04.