TWELVE months on from their second place finish in the 2022 Baileys Horse Feeds flexi-eventing series at The Meadows, Nikki Cullen and Gemstone Ruby topped the 2023 leaderboard following the final qualifier at the McCusker family’s Lurgan equestrian centre last Saturday.

“I was absolutely delighted to win!” said Cullen who completed the six-leg series on 63 points with her 13-year-old Rineen Clover mare while finishing eighth on her second ride, the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Danske Coevers Lass (45), a 14-year-old daughter of Emperor Augustus.

On Saturday, Cullen and Gemstone Ruby finished third in the Intro Section C dressage, recorded a double clear over the 80cms show jumping track and then went clear in the 80cms cross-country phase. Danske Coevers Lass was third in the Intro B dressage and went clear in both 90cms jumping phases.

“I bought Ruby down in Cork as an unbroken three-year-old,” said Cullen. “We did a bit of unaffiliated show jumping and cross-country before she had a foal. It was her first time to do dressage when we did the flexi-eventing last year. Next month, I have to go for scans on my knee for a major operation but, if that’s held up, I’d love to do some Eventing Ireland competitions this season with both mares.”

Gemstone Ruby was bred outside Mallow by John Dullea. Her foal, now a four-year-old, is a gelding by the Holstein stallion Singulaer della Caccia. “He is a really nice jumper so I will probably do a bit of show jumping with him this year and perhaps try eventing as well. I really like him.”

Cullen, who works full-time with horses – and ponies and donkeys – in Ballinderry Upper outside Lisburn, was supported on Saturday by her four-year-old daughter Sophia, who is already competing over cross-poles, her anxious mother Sharon (the show jumping judge) and her father Raymond who mans the finish at Northern Region events.

“They weren’t the only ones,” said Nikki. “There was great support from everyone throughout the league – fantastic really – everyone was so helpful and friendly. It was also great to see such a large number of young kids competing – they really were amazing and they weren’t afraid to ask for advice.”

Good showing

Former multiple champion Denis Currie did his best to win the Baileys Champion Trophy again with his 18-year-old Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan gelding Arodstown Aramis. However, despite winning both the Novice and Intermediate dressage phases on Saturday and going clear over the 1m cross-country track, Currie had to settle for the runner-up spot on 61.5 penalties.

Their good flat work paid off as Currie and Arodstown Aramis won the Christine McBride-sponsored prize for the combination which gained the most dressage points in the series.

New to the series this year, Drumbo’s Zara Reid (13) finished third with Lola (60), the 2010 British-bred mare on whom, under her registered name Greylands Diamond Girl, Alex O’Hare enjoyed considerable success under EI rules over the past two seasons.

On Saturday, Reid and Lola were second in the Intro C dressage, recorded a double clear over Aaron McCusker’s 80cms show jumping track and rounded off their day with a clear over the 80cms cross-country course. A member of the Iveagh Branch, Reid will be presented with an additional prize today at The Meadows as the highest-placed Pony Club rider in the series.

Special mention should go to Suzi McClean and flexi-eventing newcomer Amelia Wheeler who both finished the series on 51 points. As she picked up 11 of those on finals’ day, McClean placed fourth with her 10-year-old Gold N Silver mare Butter while 13-year-old Wheeler was fifth on board her mother Lisa’s five-year-old piebald gelding Midnight Minty.

Winners of the series supporters’ prize were Robyn Rice and Sophia Madeley who not only attended each leg of the league but competed in all three phases each Saturday.

Delight

Another constant attendee was Baileys Horse Feeds Irish agent Judy Maxwell who commented: “I was delighted to see the large numbers who competed in the flexi-eventing series this year. I was amazed to see so many young riders taking part and also so many competitors who wouldn’t be main stream event riders but turned up each Saturday and improved week after week.”

The input of the ‘young entry’ was also commented up by Dora Beacom, event co-ordinator for the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland who fielded all queries regarding the dressage phase of the series and whose numeracy skills were needed to sort the league placings.

“It was extremely encouraging to see the number of underage riders who have finished in the top section of the leaderboard and even more so considering that many of those were making their debut in the league.

“As always, many thanks to Judy Maxwell of the title sponsor Baileys Horse Feeds for the generous sponsorship, to Treo Eile and Christine McBride for their individual prizes and to all the volunteers who worked so hard in all disciplines and in all weathers to keep the series running so smoothly,” commented Beacom.

Bumpers

The Treo Eile prize for the highest-placed thoroughbred in the league went to the Emma Thompson-ridden Mauras Way (34 points) who ran four times in bumpers and twice over hurdles without troubling the judge between October 2020 and July 2021 when trained by Michael Croke. The seven-year-old bay mare by Getaway is out of the point-to-point winning Inarticulate (by Definite Article).