IN EI100 (Amateur) company, two riders struck twice between Hillcrest (1) on Sunday, May 14th and Kilguilkey House (2) on Sunday last, July 2nd, and one of the pair who managed that feat, Darren O’Connor, did so on those two dates with his Irish Sport Horse gelding Newmarket Apollo.

However, on 38 points from four counting runs in the league, O’Connor and his six-year-old Newmarket Venture bay are some way adrift of Co Kildare’s Rolline O’Callaghan and Splendid B who are on 52. The pair’s record for the season reads four wins and one second-place finish from five starts with two of those successes coming in two outings in the period under review.

Based at Yeomanstown Stud (sponsor of the EI110 (J) league), O’Callaghan and her 13-year-old palomino gelding by Smooth Operator added to their success at Tyrella in April when landing a five-runner EI100 (Amateur) class at Kilguilkey House (1) on May 21st. Six days later, they won an eight-strong class at Rosanna (1).

Since then, Splendid B finished second in an EI100 (J) at Grove but, he hasn’t been sold, and Rolline will be back on board the Etter Sportpferde-bred gelding in the EI100 (J) at The Clare today.

“Gilby Monaghan, who is both my nephew and godson, rode the horse at Grove,” explained O’Callaghan. “I had a very busy June working in the office and, as it was Gibly’s birthday, I decided to be nice and offer him the ride! I knew I wouldn’t have to worry as he is a very good rider and was eighth (of 19) in the long-format pony class at Kilguilkey at the weekend on Longwood Laura.”

Rolline will have a second horse representing her at The Clare today but she won’t be on board the newcomer, Dante’s Pass, with Susie Shekleton having the mount. Susie is based with Jane O’Flynn with whom O’Callaghan keeps her event horses.

“You may remember writing about me stopping on the road on the way home from Punchestown last October to watch one of our racehorses winning at Limerick on my phone, well this is the same horse,” said O’Callaghan. “He ‘told us’ on St Stephen’s Day that he no longer wanted to be a racehorse so we have been re-training him ever since.

“He’s absolutely gorgeous and will do anything to please. I rode him in the racehorse to riding horse class at Raheendaw in early June which was my first showing class ever and we were third. We then went on to be second at Ballyfoyle. After this weekend, he will go to the Tatts July Show for the novice racehorse class there.”

O’Connor’s Newmarket Apollo is a six-year-old full-brother to Newmarket Kilmastulla Knight who won the all-Ireland three-year-old championship at Bannow & Rathangan in 2019 for Michael and Rachel Lyons.

That now seven-year-old is currently being campaigned as a show hunter by Jennifer Kennedy and was third in his lightweight class and second in the ladies’ astride at Balmoral in May. He has been unbeaten since in lightweight classes with Kennedy and in amateur hunter classes under David Keena and has qualified for the Connolly’s Red Mills champion of champions in both divisions.

Newmarket Apollo and Newmarket Kilmastulla Knight were both bred at the Newmarket Stud in Co Cork by Brian Daly and are the only recorded sport horse progeny out of their dam, the dual-winning point-to-pointer Ballymac’s Present. That 2004 Presenting mare is dam also of four thoroughbred foals including the 2018 Affinisea gelding Trooper Thorn who was placed twice in two runs between the flags in the spring of last year for Colin Bowe but, as yet, has failed to worry the judge in two outings on the track.

Moving up the levels

“I bought my fellow as a three-year-old in Goresbridge,” said O’Connor whose wife, Susie Roche, won the supreme ridden horse championship at Charleville recently with her Herald 3 four-year-old, Carrowgar Henry. “I got him home, broke him and did some working hunters with him as a four-year-old. He did three EI100 events last season and has been out six times this year. I’m moving him up a level at Hillcrest on Sunday (tomorrow).”

There were single wins in the period under review for Britt Megahey with his ISH gelding R Showman, an eight-year-old by Centre Stage, at Hazeldene on Saturday, May 20th; for Zoe Kavanagh with her father Dick McElliogott’s ISH gelding Farrellys Tavern, a 10-year-old VDL Arkansas chesnut, at Clonmahon House on Saturday, June 10th; for Lucy Toombs with Alison Smith’s Bluestone Ice, a 15-year-old Creevagh Grey Rebel gelding at Rosanna (2) on June 17th; for Cathal Murphy with his former racehorse Operation Overload, a 10-year-old Oscar gelding, at Ballindenisk (1) the following day; and for Karen Blakely Palmer with the traditionally-bred Sir Alexander Diamond, a nine-year-old Prescotts Diamond gelding, at Grove in late June.