MEATH’s Anthony Fox followed up his win in the qualified riders’ handicap hurdle at Limerick seven days earlier with victory on his Eventing Ireland debut in the EI100 Amateur class at the Tullymurry Equestrian Centre, close to Downpatrick Racecourse, last Saturday.

There were 20 starters in the metre class where Fox took up the running on a score of 31.5 penalties in the dressage phase and was never headed.

He might have been tempted to go faster across the country but came home just nicely under the time allowed on Oj who is owned by his partner, Amy Parsons.

Anthony began riding the 11-year-old black gelding when Amy “smashed her pelvis” at home in their Dunderry yard. The former apprentice, who was in hospital for two weeks, is slowly recovering, and while back eventing, hopes to soon recommence riding out for Gavin Cromwell who trained Anthony’s successful Limerick mount, Global Racing.

“I’ll start back slowly, just doing two days a week until I’m fit enough to do more,” said Amy who was extremely proud of Anthony’s eventing victory. “He put a lot of hard work into it,” she concluded.

Anthony, in turn, credited the gelding’s owner for his win. “I only learned the dressage test on Friday and just did what Amy told me to! I may upgrade to Novice at Vesey Lodge but I see eventing as something for the future as I can’t keep point-to-pointing forever,” said Fox who celebrates his 30th birthday today.

“We have a couple of young sport horses at home and the plan is to produce them for sale. At the moment, I’m riding out for Gavin, who may have something for me at Galway, and also for Peter Flood and Suzy Barkley.”