FOLLOWING an exciting series, the Mervue Equine Leinster Summer Tour final looms on August 28th at Warrington Equestrian Centre. For the first time ever, this final will be a standalone show with great prize money of €14,000 up for grabs between final rounds, leagues, and breeders’ prizes.

Along with the cash prizes, there will also be bursaries or Mervue products offered. This year, the overall league winners in the 1.10m, 1.20m, 1.35m and the top Young Rider in all divisions will win the Karlswood prize. This prize is an afternoon with Olympic medallist Cian O’Connor to watch him coach his students followed by a questions and answers session. Lunch and a tour of Karlswood is included.

In the 1.35m division, the overall prize fund for the winning rider and horse is €2,000 and the runner-up prize is €1,000. The leading young rider/horse combination of this division will receive the bursary prize from Ballywalter Farms bursary with top Wexford international show jumper Bertram Allen. Horse Sport Ireland has agreed to sponsor the breeders’ prize for the top three Irish Sport Horses finishers in the 1.35m. The breeder of the leading Irish Sport Horse will receive €1,000, the runner-up €750, and third place €250.

Little stands between the top three placings in this division. Going into the final round, Lt James Whyte has clocked up 29 points with Carrigoran while Wexford young rider Taylor Peare and Lissyegan Geoffrey have accumulated 26 points. Also in contention is Brendan Murphy and PNP Rocco on 23 points.

In the 1.20m and 1.10m divisions, the winning rider and horse will take home €1,000 and €500 for the runner-up. In the 1.20m section, it’s still all to play for with Aileen McDermott and Amber Balou sitting top of the leaderboard on 29 points, followed by Gillian Bond on 27 points in what is set to be an exciting final.

In the 1.10m again, margins are very close with Marie Hartley and Nikita Van Het Heindenof topping the leaderboard on 35 points, followed closely behind by Aileen McDermott and Amber Balou on 30 points.

(League standings can be found on www.leinstershowjumping.com)