THE scorers had to call two dead-heats in the Treo Eile thoroughbred class during Viewing Day at the Stepping Stones to Success League in Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday.

Sharing the top spot on their dressage scores of 20.2 penalties were Jason Furlong on Chris Ryan’s unraced five-year-old Sans Frontieres gelding Tobias and Gerald Bloomer on the twice-raced Ballydrummond, a 2016 Valirann gelding he owns in partnership with J.P. King and Patrick Turley.

The pair finished a long way clear of Jasper Kelly riding Deirdre Fox’s five-year-old Dream Ahead mare Strawberry Morn and Éabha Mansfield on Ashley Hussey’s 16-year-old Statue of Liberty gelding Steps To Freedom who both completed on their flat work scores of 30.5 for a share of third place.

Heading into Tuesday’s final, when points and a half will be on offer, Furlong and Tobias plus Bloomer and Ballydrummond top the leaderboard on 20 points, with two wins apiece, ahead of Mansfield with Steps To Freedom (18) and Kelly with Strawberry Morn (17).

There is a two-way tie also at the top of the EquiJump Ltd pony producers’ class between Molly Flanagan with Diamant de Mures and Hazel Barden with Paddy Jo who, as dual winners during the league, are on 20 points apiece. Currently lying third on 17 points is Ella Mulvey with Glenayre Mystical Mist while Alex Connors is a further point back in fourth with Blennerville Rua.

All four combinations were in action on Wednesday when Molly Flanagan and Mary Kehoe’s five-year-old dun mare Diamant des Mures completed on a total of 211.5 points, narrowly taking the win from Barden and her mother Jackie’s year-older Connemara gelding, Paddy Jo (210.5).

Connors finished six points adrift in third with Blennerville Rua (204.5) on whom the Co Kildare rider had filled the same spot in the EI100 (P) at Lightsource BP Tyrella (3) the previous Saturday. We note that at Wexford Equestrian, the six-year-old Irish Sports Pony, a gelding by Paulank Easy Peezy, no longer runs in the name of Jane Hancock but in that of his joint-owner, Skerries-based Ann Grimes, who purchased the chesnut as a five-month-old foal from his Co Kerry breeder, Tim Hurley.

At Tuesday’s final, the ponies will also be judged for conformation and type.

As with all those who competed in the young horse classes, the thoroughbred and pony riders have been impressed not only by the increasingly challenging tracks built each week by course designer, and host, Pat Peare, but also by the care and attention he gives to the surface and the presentation of the fences.