ADMITTEDLY, there were some great performances by southern hemisphere riders at the Semalease Kilguilkey House international event last week.

However, they didn’t even try – never mind match – the feat of Co Cork’s Momo Sheehy who won the Walsh & Partners Solicitors CCI2*-S at the Mallow venue and, as a member of the Carbery Branch, the musical ride at the Irish Pony Club Festival in Barnadown!

It’s easier to describe Sheehy’s win at Kilguilkey than at the Festival as here she and her father Morgann’s TMX Herby completed on the winning dressage score (29 penalties) they were awarded by the ground jury of Japan’s Keiko Kabashima and New Zealand’s Margs Carline.

The vast majority of the field were Irish and even the second-placed competitor, Britain’s Nicky Roncoroni, lives in Co Kilkenny and has brought her Imperial Hights gelding Rockalong (29.1) up through the Eventing Ireland ranks. This was a third start at this level for the bay Irish Sport Horse gelding who finished third of 49 at Millstreet earlier in the summer and fourth of 34 at Ballindenisk last September.

Gilford’s Steven Smith finished third on Susan O’Shea’s Tullaher Paudie (32.8) who retired in similar company here in June. This Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan gelding finished a place in front of Rockalong when third in the Horse Sport Ireland Studbook series for six-year-olds at Ballindenisk last month but his rival has better form in unrestricted classes.

At 18 years of age, Sheehy has limited international experience but the same cannot be said of TMX Herby, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by VDL Zirocco Blue who competed up to CCI4* and CSI4* level with Tim Lips of The Netherlands. Sheehy has been riding the chesnut since early last year, winning an EI100 (J) first time out at Blackstairs in April, at EI110 (J) level at Punchestown last May and another at Ballindenisk a fortnight later. They won the EI110 (J) national championship at Lisgarvan in early September and, later that month, they landed the CCI2*-L at Ballindenisk.

There were 52 starters in last weekend’s class at Kilguilkey, of whom 44 completed. The top nine completed on their dressage scores but there were a lot of penalties picked up over the coloured poles. One combination withdrew before cross-country where one was eliminated; one withdrew before the show jumping phase where four were eliminated, two for rider falls, and one retired.