SCARVA’s Suzanne Hagan completed on her dressage score to win the NutriScience EI110 title at last weekend’s Eventing Ireland National Championships at Kilguilkey House on the Dutch Warmblood mare Karolita O (23.3 penalties).

Riding Deirdre Connolly’s seven-year-old home-bred ISH mare OnceUponATime, Sarah Ennis also completed on the score (26.5) she was awarded by Marion Slattery and Una O’Donnell to finish second. Meanwhile, the flat work winners on 23.1, Amanda Goldsbury and the Zangersheide gelding Cooley On Ice, picked up time penalties on both jumping phases to drop to third (27.1).

There were two eliminations for errors of course show jumping and three withdrawals before cross-country where one combination retired while another was eliminated. Just three other combinations had problems in jumping on the final leg.

Lucky last

Karolita O made just three appearances this season before the championships, winning last time out at Tullymurry (2). The chesnut is owned by Co Carlow’s Jane Hancock, who couldn’t attend at the weekend, and Co Meath’s Anne Magee who commented: “Yes I was there but it was only when I saw what a good dressage mark the mare got before jumping clear on Saturday that I decided to drive down the next morning. It was terrific! Jane and I are so lucky to have Suzanne riding for us.”

The successful rider commented of the Firestone eight-year-old: “That will likely finish her eventing this year. Ideally, I would have been going to Ballindenisk for the three-star but, with events being cancelled, I didn’t get a 115 run done in time. But, for a good mare like her, it won’t matter – she will catch up early next year.

“There was a great atmosphere at the event, loads of families with tents and barbeques."

"The weather really helped; I thought it was just lovely and everyone appeared to be having a great time. Danny did a great job on the ground, the cross-country was inviting and horses finished happy which is how you want to end the season.”