TWO legs of the Horse Sport Ireland affiliates combined training league were held last Sunday and some interesting and quite diverse combinations have qualified for the final at CoilÓg on March 13th.

At Wexford Equestrian, where the show jumping phase took place indoors, there were very familiar faces, both human and equine, among those who appeared before one or other of the day’s dressage judges, Brona O’Mahony and Lynne Cassidy.

This was particularly so in the 1.10m qualifier where, thanks to their clear rounds, the qualifying spots went to Melanie Wrynn and her Dutch Warmblood mare Ardeo Gold (28 penalties) and Meabh Bolger on her highly regarded Irish Sport Horse gelding, MBF Back To Back (28.5), a six-year-old Metropole bay. Clodie Coen had to settle for third when having a fence down with Union Fortunus (29).

A daughter of Numero Uno who won the five-year-old Stepping Stones league at Wexford Equestrian in 2020, Ardeo Gold didn’t do a lot last season as Wrynn was pregnant, giving birth to her fourth child, daughter Ivy Grace, in early September.

The mare competed in one EI100 class, finishing 10th, and won two 1.10m Show Jumping Ireland competitions, in each instance being ridden by Melanie’s husband Neil.

A clear round also proved crucial in the 1m qualifier where, on his dressage score of 28 penalties, Co Wicklow veterinary surgeon Michael O’Toole, riding Beechdale Jago, qualified ahead of Ciara Power whose similar total on the ISH gelding Rossmount Aldi Hero, a 2016 mare by Celtic Hero BZ, included four show jumping penalties.

The Jill Acton-bred Beechdale Jago, who is a six-year-old chesnut ISH gelding by Dignified van’t Zorgvliet out of a Desir du Chateau mare, competed four times under Eventing Ireland rules last year, finishing second on his final start in an age restricted EI100 at Punchestown in October.

Windgap’s Kate Solon ran out a very easy winner of the 90cms class with the traditionally-bred Oakport Ringo Star (22.25 penalties), a 12-year-old gelding by the thoroughbred stallion All My Dreams out of Amber Rose, Michael Keane’s Irish Draught mare by Ginger Dick.

Here, Matthew Dickenson finished second on another traditionally bred gelding, Major Sam (27), a home-bred seven-year-old by the ID Crosstown Pride. A fence down show jumping proved costly for The Meadows winners, Caroline Lynch and Quora (28), who had led after dressage on 23.

Co Wicklow-based Dickenson fared better at 80cms level where, even with the addition of four show jumping penalties, he comfortably won the qualifier on the traditionally bred Lionswood Mr Grey (28.25), a five-year-old grey gelding by the US-bred ID stallion Lionswood Kinsales Lad out of a thoroughbred mare by With Approval.

A delighted Wayne Santry finished second on the five-year-old Dylan Thomas gelding Ye Chancer Ye (33) who pulled up on his only start in a four-year-old Wexford bumper in March last year. Co Cork-based Santry will be aiming his charge at the thoroughbred section of the Stepping Stones League at Wexford Equestrian which gets under way on Wednesday, March 30th.