WE received the full results of the Foran Equine League too late to include with those of the very successful Connolly’s Red Mills/Irish Pony Club eventing championships which were held over the weekend of August 24th and 25th at Tattersalls Ireland.
Printing them here one can see that Tipperary’s Kate Walsh and Co Limerick’s Ben Buckley, who were champion and reserve in the Open championship on Beechtree Watchful and Tullabeg Flamenco respectively, had to settle for second and third in the league behind Wexford’s Rebekah Rochowiak on her Irish Sport Horse mare Greannanstown Vivendi Girl.
Rochowiak picked up 18 points during the league with her 11-year-old Ars Vivendi Bay while her rivals amassed 17 points apiece, the placings being decided on their finish at the championships.
This weekend, Walsh and Beechtree Watchful, winners of the members’ combined training competition at the Dublin Horse Show, are competing in the EI110 (J) championship at the Eventing Ireland national championships at Kilguilkey House.
Shillelagh’s Ned Kelly, who landed the Intermediate Individual championship at Tattersalls, narrowly won the Intermediate league on Maria Tyrrell’s Connemara gelding Fiona’s Fionn, a 16-year-old grey son of Monaghanstown Fionn on whom he amassed 33 points.
Maggie Willet, who was on the Killinicks’ second-placed team at that level, finished second also in the league with her mother Deborah’s traditionally-bred mare Sally Grey Gallough (32), an 11-year-old Rebel Mountain grey on whom she is due to make her EI debut today in the EI100 (J) national championship at Kilguilkey.
The South Union’s Rian Tagney recorded a runaway victory on 48 points in the Intro Intermediate league despite finishing well down the leaderboard in his arena at the championships on the eight-year-old tri-coloured gelding FVS Jester Million. Like so many others in the cross-country phase, Tagney was penalised when having a run-out at 15B. Throughout the day, there was a reluctance on the part of riders to take the longer, black-flagged option.
In contrast, while finishing a long way adrift in second in the league on 29 points, the Ward Union’s Caoimhe Rice won that same Intro Intermediate arena on IHWT Fay.
Keeping a eye on the points tally in the Junior section would be a job in itself, there were so many competitors at that level. However, there had to be a winner and this was South Union member Samantha Gash Hickey who accumulated 53 points on the 10-year-old near white gelding Charlie’s Freedom who won or was placed at nine qualifiers and earned double points for winning at Tattersalls.
Offaly’s Saoirse Carty finished second on 50 points with Sandy Banks ahead of Wexford’s Michael Bowe (44) who had a disappointing result at the national championships on Home Ruler.
The highest number of points in this year’s league, 58, were amassed in the Under 12s’ division by Shillelagh’s Sarah Ryan riding her mother Sharon’s Connemara gelding Ballinaguilkey Rocco, a six-year-old by Murvey Rocco out of a Templebready Fear Bui dam. Tipperary’s Anna Kennedy finished second (35 points) on Savanose Bobby, a 16-year-old dun gelding by Gloves Bobby.
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