THERE was a disappointing delay to the start of the 2023 Eventing Ireland season but there was nothing disappointing when the campaign got underway last Saturday with the first of three Lightsource Tyrella BP one-day events organised by the Northern Region.

This opening fixture attracted the maximum 300 entries from all over Ireland for the advertised 18 classes which ran from a record-breaking 38 in the EI115 (Open) to 17 in the new EI80 (Q).

Action in two of the nine dressage arenas commenced at 8am and the first horses entered the two show jumping rings at 10am. The cross-country phase got under way at 11.30am with the last combination coming through the finish at exactly 6.30pm.

As ever, not everyone completed but, with the new ‘two refusals and you’re out’ rule in place in show jumping, some disappointingly, and expensively, found themselves not even starting on the final leg. Although this was the first event of the season, Aaron McCusker built up-to-height, technical show jumping tracks while Adam Stevenson’s cross-country tracks were praised for being clever and educational.

The going at Tyrella was described as good to firm when the East Downs ran the second of their two point-to-points there at the start of the month but the heavy snowfall and rain since then had their effect. The vast majority of competitors were happy to call the underfoot conditions perfect and will hopefully find them the same at Tyrella (2) on Saturday next, April 8th.

Perfect comeback

Everything would have to be perfect to bring a highly-regarded horse back to competition so it was great to see June Burgess’ Galwaybay Echo take it up where he left off when winning at Loughanmore in September 2021 with victory in the EI115 (Open) here under Steven Smith. The combination picked up 3.6 cross-country time penalties to complete on 31.1 and score narrowly from John Lyttle’s dressage winners, and the season’s cross-country pathfinders, Sarah Ennis and Dourough Ferro Class Act, whose total of 32.1 included 10 cross-country time penalties.

“This was a great result and I’m over the moon,” said Burgess when discussing Galwaybay Echo, her 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Clover Echo who was bred in Co Galway by Justin Burke out of Mistys Cavalier (by Cavalier Royale). “I always expect him to go well, and he and Steven are a great team, but it was a big class of very good horses and riders so you never know.

“He has been back in work since the end of the summer after what we thought was an injury but turned out to be a foot issue that was sorted by changing his shoeing which was a big relief! Although he was fine within a month, it put paid to our plans for last season. However, I enjoyed hacking him for a few months and then he went back to Steven before Christmas for the serious work to begin.

“There is a lot of sentimentality involved every time this horse runs for three reasons. Firstly, I have had him from a three-year-old and evented him myself. Secondly, he’s a really lovely, very talented horse to work with so it means a great deal to see him achieving what he is capable of. Thirdly, and most importantly, my late husband Jim bought him from Shirley Kernan (and as usual there was quite a story around that) and he would just love to see him winning.”

Smith enjoyed a very rewarding visit to the Corbett family’s seaside estate so it was no surprise to hear him comment: “I was delighted to be back at Tyrella where Dora (Beacom, regional event co-ordinator) and her team presented good courses and ground conditions which were fantastic to get horses started for the season.”

The Gilford-based rider related his plans for Galwaybay Echo. “He’ll be aimed at a Nations’ Cup in the spring and then selection for the senior Europeans. It was brilliant to have him return to competition with a win and it was great to have June there to see him and her other horse, Cecil Bready, who went double clear in the EI110 (Open) under Casey Webb.

“My other four-star horses, chief steward Terry Johnston’s Hi Happy Harry and Herbie Walker’s Newferry Jagermeister, finished third (33.3) and fourth (34.8) in the EI115 (Open) while Tessa Westbrook’s seven-year-old Lavori finished third (34.1) in his first EI115 which was very exciting for the future. He will now be targeted at the two-star long in Ballindenisk.”

That 10-runner EI115 was won by Laura Birley and her own Bob Cotton Bandit (30.8 penalties), one of many combinations who warmed-up for the season through the region’s Baileys Horse Feeds flexi-eventing series at The Meadows. Co Meath’s Sarah Ennis again had to settle for second on Diamond Fusion (33.3) who was making his debut at this level.