BRITISH Dressage’s Jane Peberdy (List 1) headed a team of eight who were required to judge the large entry at the second leg of the Leinster Region ARKEquine autumn/winter league held in Greenogue last Sunday.

All four entries came before Peberdy in the FEI Grand Prix where her winner was the home-based Kevin Acres on Con McCarthy’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Ganesh (66.41%), a 12-year-old bay by Jazz. Sarah Mellor finished a close-up second on Let’s Dance (66.20) ahead of Sophia Doheny with Enrico (65.76) and Tara Oliver Donohoe riding Furst Romance (65.33).

Also before Peberdy, Mellor was the sole starter in the FEI Intermediate II with her 13-year-old Hotline mare Hotshot (66.76%) while Oliver Donohoe won the three-runner FEI Intermediate I on Senators Rhonaldo (63.68). The Co Limerick-based rider and her nine-year-old Olderburg gelding by Rhondeo also won the FEI Prix St George on 66.03 having been one of three combinations to start before Bernie Foley (List 2a).

Junior test

The 15-year-old Doheny was the only starter in the FEI Junior Individual Test judged by Dermot Cannon (List 1) on board her mother Louise’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Batqar (71.76), a 17-year-old black son of Obelisk.

Others to record uncontested wins on Sunday were Elaine Johnson-Cross with Devilingh (65.54) and Hannah Fielding on Florentina DWS (70) in the Advanced classes; Maeve Deverell with Annaharvey Dunowen (71.22) in the FEI Children Individual Test; Taylor Deane riding the Connemara gelding Jango (67), a grey by Kippure Columbus, in the FEI four-year-old test; and Clodagh Walsh with another Connemara, the Kingstown Fionn mare Knockavalley Mai, in both Para Grade 1 Tests.

Deverell was also a sole starter before Jane Peberdy in the FEI Pony Team Test with her mother Aisling’s 11-year-old roan gelding Derravaragh Boy (69%) on whom she had to settle for second (66.22) in the two-runner Individual Test. Here, Dermot Cannon’s winner was Oscar O’Connor on his European championship team mount Top Hero 2 (67.43), his mother Susan’s 13-year-old Westfalian gelding by Top Champy.

Disappointingly, there were five withdrawals from both Advanced Medium classes. In the Peberdy-judged FEI Junior Team Test the honours went to Lydia Dawson on Clonswords Alf (67.27%).

In the Bernie Foley-judged Junior Individual Test, Dawson and her 14-year-old Clonswords Mr Jones gelding finished a close second (65) to Linnèa Larkin riding her mother Petra’s Swedish Warmblood gelding Erb Welt (65.88), a 19-year-old son of Weltman who was making his first appearance at an DI show since June 2021.

Career change

Apart from the three-runner DI Introductory Test B, judged by Elena Satalkina (List 5) and won by Lorna Flanagan on former Joseph O’Brien-trained Never Back Down, an eight-year-old Kodiac gelding who won twice on the flat, the lower level classes were very well filled.

The Preliminary DI18 was judged by Lynne Cassidy (List 3) whose leaderboard was topped by Charlotte Campbell on her ISH gelding FR (FS) Prince Charming (72.71).

In the Satalkina-judged BD15, Campbell and her five-year-old grey by Ringwood Cassero had to settle for second behind fellow Category 1 rider Claire Penny who scored 75% on her ISH mare Western Lady, a 10-year-old bay by the Connemara stallion, Western Boy.

Michael Moore judged the first of the Novice classes, the DI24A, where he awarded his top score to Floyd Mills riding the Oldenburg mare Mille Fleurs (71.50%), a six-year-old daughter of Millennium. The second, the BD23 judged by Jane Whitaker (List 2), was won by Sarah Logan on Jane Bolton’s traditionally-bred ISH mare Rock Lemon (72.08), a 10-year-old by Carrick Diamond Lad out of the unraced Rock Back (by Bob Back).

Jane Peberdy judged the first of Sunday’s Elementary classes, the DI51, where the overall leaderboard was topped by another traditionally-bred ISH mare by Carrick Diamond Lad, Carrick Diamond Lilly (67.96%).

Owned and ridden by Wendy Seymour, this 13-year-old is out of the non-winning thoroughbred, Silver Pageant (by Arzanni). In the Bernie Foley-judged BD57, Seymour and Carrick Diamond Lilly slotted into second (68.39) behind Aimee Oliver and her Dutch Warmblood gelding Love The Difference (70.36), a seven-year-old dark bay son of Johnson.

Foley judged the first of the Medium classes, the DI77, where the winner was Co Galway’s Padraig Flanagan on Vida Tansey’s home-bred ISH gelding Qeannaire An Tanaiste (68.86%), a 10-year-old chesnut by Quaterback.

In the Whitaker-judged BD73, Finn O’Gara rose to the top of the standings on Karen Bennett’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Jinger (70.74), a nine-year-old chesnut by Negro.

Michael Moore judged the vast majority of the Trailblazers’ classes where he awarded his top score of 76.05% to Robyn O’Donnell who saw off six rivals to win the Junior Preliminary (DI5A) on the ISH mare Ardfort MBF Lady Vanessa. This four-year-old bay by Vivant van de Heffinck was bred in Co Mayo by Michael Kean out of the Iroko mare Lisheen Scarlett.

Claire Fitzsimons (List 4) was called into action for just the Junior Novice (DI26) class where her winner from three starters was Finn Breen riding the Welsh Section B gelding Goldengrove Morsecode (71.72), a 15-year-old bay by Holyoake Czar.