ROBBIE Kearns rode five Irish Sport Horse geldings at the Kilguilkey international last week for his retaining yard of Richard Ames, title sponsor of the event through SemaLease but absent as on owner duty at Aachen.

Kearns partnered three horses in the 23-runner CCI3*-S where, with a pole down show jumping, he finished sixth on Derena Super Star (35.7 penalties), and two in this 16-strong Intro class where, on his David Lee and James Rooney-awarded dressage scores, he won and placed third with Belline Castle Fifty Seven (31.2) and Belline Gucci (34.6). With two cross-country time penalties, Waterford’s Sharon Power spilt the Piltown-produced pair on Tullibards Benny And Jess (34.4), the seven-year-old Oldenburg-registered Tullibards Bennys Legacy gelding on whom she mainly competes in EI110 (Amateur) company.

Belline Castle Fifty Seven won once and was second three times last year at EI100 level under Gillian Beale King and the now six-year-old Sligo Candy Boy gelding started the season well under his new jockey. In well-filled classes, they finished second in the EI100 at Frankfort Stud (3) in early May and followed that up with a win at the same level seven days later at Hillcrest (2). With four show jumping penalties, the combination finished 11th at Rosanna (1).

Disappointingly, Belline Castle Fifty Seven, who was bred in Co Westmeath by Cleary Equine and Racing Ltd out of a Harlequin du Carel mare, had an off-day at Clonmahon House where he was eliminated in the HSI Studbook series for six-year-olds.

Unfazed by this blip, Kearns moved the horse up to EI110 at Grove and he is due to compete at that level again tomorrow at Hillcrest (3) where the six-year-old Watermill Swatch gelding Belline Gucci has also been entered.