Treo Eile thoroughbred final

LEVEL 3 dressage and eventing coach Gerald Bloomer was delighted to win the Treo Eile Thoroughbred event final and league on Ballydrummond as the 2022 Stepping Stones to Success league came to its conclusion at Wexford Equestrian on Tuesday.

The result in this class is decided on dressage and a clear round in the Derby Arena and here Ballydrummond was quickly into stride as Anne Marie Dunphy had the six-year-old on a penalty score of 27.2 with his main rival on paper, the Jason Furlong-ridden Tobias, next best on 32.8.

Disappointingly for Furlong and owner Chris Ryan, that five-year-old unraced Sans Frontieres gelding lowered one of the coloured poles to drop to third on 36.8 behind the Lilymai Berry-owned and ridden Skylanna Scatman, an eight-year-old Tajraasi gelding who completed on his first phase score (35.8).

Ballydrummond is a member of the first crop of Whytemount Stud’s French-bred stallion Valirann and is out of the hurdle and chase-winning Classic Cliche mare Hathamore. He was bred in Co Down by P.J. McCrickard from whom Bloomer’s partner, J.P. King, purchased the horse as a foal.

Along with Patrick Turley, King had the horse in training with Andrew McNamara but, having pulled up in a point-to-point in December 2020 before finishing 11th of 13 in a maiden hurdle the next month, his racing career was brought to an early end.

“This is a very athletic horse who is just taking time to settle,” said Bloomer. “He is relaxing more and more each week, becoming more rideable. I’m going to do a few unaffiliated events with him and then progress to Eventing Ireland. There was great sponsorship for this class and, as my horse had raced, he also picked up the €250 on offer from the Irish Horse Welfare Trust – you’d be a long time earning that kind of money eventing!”

Treo Eile Thoroughbred league – 1, J.P. King’s Ballydrummond (Gerald Bloomer) 35 points; 2, Chris Ryan’s Tobias (Jason Furlong) 32; 3, Ashley Hussey’s Steps To Freedom (Eabha Mansfield) 28.5; 4, Lilymai Berry’s Skylanna Scatman (Owner) 27.5; 5, Deirdre Fox’s Strawberry Morn (Jasper Kelly) 23; 6, Heidi Brabazon’s Ahaziah (Owner) 22.