THE Fell family hosted the second standalone leg of this year’s Horse Sport Ireland autumn development series in eventing and combined training at Ballindenisk last Sunday when the glorious weather conditions were in complete contrast to those experienced on the final day of the international last month.

This round of the series was originally billed as an arena eventing competition but, instead, there were four combined training classes. Two of these, the EI110 for six and seven-year-olds and EI100 for five-year-olds, were won by Co Meath’s Sarah Ennis, who also filled the runner-up spot twice and finished fourth on her only other ride of the day.

The entry was disappointingly small, given the prize money on offer, with just six starting in the EI110, where Ennis claimed the spoils when completing on her dressage score with her own Irish Sport Horse gelding Dolmen Stellor Design (29.8 penalties). The bay finished three penalty points clear of his stable companion, Deirdre Connolly’s home-bred OnceUponATime, who led after dressage but had a fence down show jumping.

While that seven-year-old Barely A Moment gelding has an established eventing record behind him, Dolmen Stellor Design has yet to start under Eventing Ireland rules. He does, however, have 59 Showjumping Ireland points to his credit. The majority of these were accumulated under Ennis whose groom, Emily Singleton, started him off in the spring of 2022. The Quantino six-year-old was bred in Co Wexford by Jack Murphy out of the Dolmen Deja Vu mare Dolmen Dimension.

Ennis doubled up in the 10-runner EI100 on the Dutch Warmblood gelding Nycarlos H who led throughout on his flat work mark of 26.5 penalties. Sean Wrynn and Alice Copithorne finished second and third, also on their dressage scores, with two traditionally-bred ISH five-year-olds, the Cruising Encore mare GLS Cruising Home (31.3) and the Imperial Tiger gelding Kipling (31.8).

Nycarlos H has failed to finish in the first six in four completed EI90 competitions (he was withdrawn after dressage and show jumping last time out at the Eventing Ireland National Championships). The bay by Tangelo van du Zuuthoeve is out of Ecala-H (by Up To Date).

Fourth here on his dressage score with Mister Quantum (32 penalties), Fraser Duffy struck in the EI90 for four-year-olds on Carol Gee’s ISH gelding Annaghmore Ganecho (26) who, likewise completed on his first phase score. Ennis placed second and fourth on Silken Lark (27.8) and DS Are You Calypso (30.3) with Caitie Slater finishing third on Belline Newtown Douglas (28.8). Two of the seven starters had problems in jumping.

A bay son of Ganesh Hero Z, Annaghmore Ganecho was bred in Co Offaly by Aoife Healion out of the Clover Echo mare HHS Flo Echo. He was purchased privately from his breeder as a two-year-old by equine physiotherapist Sharon Kelly who returned to Healion in 2021 to buy the mare’s HHS Cornet foal of that year. That gelding, Annaghmore Dunkirk, was reserve youngstock champion at the Dublin Horse Show in August. This is the family of HHS Catwalk who Mikey Pender is currently campaigning on the Global Champions Tour.

There were just two starters in the class for six and seven-year-old ponies and both completed on their dressage scores. The honours were claimed by Zara McCarthy riding her father Tom’s dun ISH gelding Romans Special Envoy (26 penalties), while Elsie Barry finished over six points adrift with her mother Jane’s seven-year-old Connemara gelding Castletown Lad (32.3), winner of the EI110 (P) title at the EI National Championships.

The home-bred Romans Special Envoy, who was second of 19 in the CCIP-L at Kilguilkey House in late June, is a seven-year-old by Sligo Candy Boy out of Fifi Flowerpot who has no recorded pedigree. Fifi Flowerpot, a 2008 dun mare, has had three other foals recorded on CapallOir who are all also by Sligo Candy Boy.

“It was a small entry but we had a really good day with some lovely young horses competing,” commented Peter Fell.

“There is a competitive process one has to go through to stage these qualifiers and it’s not easy. I had hoped to run before the international but, with changes to national events, that just wasn’t possible.”

The next leg in the series takes place tomorrow at the Milchem Equestrian Centre near Tynagh where, in addition to the HSI age competitions (for which horses and riders must be registered with Eventing Ireland), the organisers are running four open combined training classes (80cm, 90cm, 1m and 1.10m).

On Saturday, October 28th, the series moves into the south-east of the country, to Wexford Equestrian, where the leg, which includes two pony classes, will be run as an arena eventing competition. Owners/riders should note that entries must be made through Wexford Equestrian’s own website and that ponies must be at least 13.2hh in height.