A WEEK later than scheduled, the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland held its very popular pre-season two-phase event last Saturday at Tyrella which had been covered in snow seven days earlier.

The usual dedicated army of officials and volunteers turned up in their dozens to ensure safe sport for all participants with Hoofprints Innovations’ Dónal O’Beirne providing a hat-tagging service which he will also do at the same venue today as the season proper gets under way.

There were plenty of problems over the Aaron McCusker-designed show jumping tracks, where the new rule of two refusals incurring elimination was applied, as well as over the Adam Stevenson-built cross-country courses where competitors started off in the sand dunes before heading out across the more level part of the Corbett family’s estate.

The senior 1m class was divided with the first section confined to competitors who wished to pitch themselves at Eventing Ireland’s Novice speed (520mpm) while the second section was run at Pre-Novice speed (475mpm). In both instances, the optimum time ruling decided the placings.

Six of the 33 combinations in the first section completed on a score of zero but Junior rider Ben Cousins hit the finishing line bang on the optimum time of four minutes 17 seconds with Travy Pavis’s 13-year-old grey gelding Broughshane Boy.

In a time of 4.15, second place was divided between Jim Newsam on Carole Hawthorne’s traditionally-bred Tullybee Renegade, an 11-year-old Puissance gelding, and Tom Rowlatt-McCormick riding the home-bred Mon Ami Alme on whom he has twice represented Ireland at European Junior championships, winning team silver last year at Hartpury.

Optimum time

In the second 1m section, where there were 38 starters, Andrew Greer also completed on the optimum time (four minutes 41 seconds) to claim the honours with his Irish Sport Horse mare Sharp Object. Last June, Greer and his now eight-year-old daughter of the influential Oldenburg stallion OBOS Quality 004 finished fifth of 34 in an EI100 at Rosanna.

Winner of the Amerigo Saddles EI90 (P) national championship last September with Sundance III, 16-year-old Erin McClernon finished four seconds under the time to fill the runner-up spot on Seapatrick Beachball, her mother Deneen’s 11-year-old Beach Ball gelding who she hopes to compete in Junior classes this season.

Ten of the 51 starters in the senior 90cms class completed on a score of zero, headed by Emily Morris and her veteran thoroughbred gelding Florida Bud (4m 55 seconds). Morris first started eventing the now 20-year-old Florida Son bay back in April 2018.

Sophie Cowan first competed under EI rules in July 2021 on the ISH mare Tempo Quickstep who she partnered to finish second here in 4.46. Cowan and the Lougherne Quickstep grey rounded off last season with a win in the EI90 (Amateur) class at Finvoy.

Seven of the 28 starters in the Junior 90cms class completed on zero but none nearer the optimum time than Eventing Ireland’s Youth Ambassador Molly O’Connor riding her father Paul’s Connemara gelding Ballyard Echo (4m 53 seconds). Once the eight-year-old Ballyard Prince gelding had been done over and put away, Molly could then be found working alongside her sister Sorcha at the mobile coffee dock which Paul is supplying with speciality coffee, Bunelos donuts and sweet treats.

Another Connemara, the 12-year-old Gwennic de Goariva mare Kilcurry Gem (4.50), finished second under pony rider Eve Lindsay.

Bragging rights

Despite the fact that there were 45 starters in the senior 80cms class, only two combinations completed on a zero score with the bragging rights going to Alex Greer who crossed the finish line in 5.05 riding Sparky. While this combination has only one outing recorded with EI, Greer and the 18-year-old bay gelding have enjoyed a lot of success over the years at unaffiliated events.

Another animal with one EI run to his credit, Horeb Captain Marvel finished second (4.54) under Megan Dumigan. This 14-year-old bay gelding was crowned pony performance working hunter champion at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan last April.

Replacing her sister Ella who had been declared to ride, Eve Lindsay had to settle for a second runner-up slot in the Junior 80cms class where she and Tom came through the finish in 4m 53 seconds.

Here, the winner in 5.04 was 17-year-old Katie Flanagan and the traditionally-bred Million Dollar Bash who she began competing under EI rules in July 2021. An eight-year-old mare by Bienamado, the successful chesnut is out of the Flagmount Clover Diamond mare Flagmount Lusk who is dam also of the former Grade B show jumper Cor De La (by S Creevagh Ferro).

Two other riders completed on zero in this 26-runner class, the aforementioned Ben Cousins who placed third on the Connemara gelding Doon Da Vinci (4.52) and locally-based Ellen MacNabb who likewise kept a clean sheet riding Little Blackbird (4.51).