LAST Saturday’s seventh and final leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi-eventing series at The Meadows saw Denis Currie win the league for the third time on Arodstown Aramis but the display of the day came from Tullymurry’s Elaine O’Connor and Sir Barnabus in the Pre-Novice dressage

Here, Janet Hall awarded O’Connor and Helen Fletcher’s Irish Sport Horse gelding 82.5% with Castlewellan’s Kaiti McCann finishing second on her father Martin’s 13-year-old skewbald mare, Boyher Cookies N Creme (77.8). Nicky Nesbitt was third on 69.3 with her 11-year-old Irish Draught mare, Carrickview Saratoga.

O’Connor and Sir Barnabus, a 13-year-old Cyrano gelding who was bred in Co Down by Deane Brown out of the Rne Shore mare Lauren Shore, won each leg of the series they competed in but one. The gelding, who also topped the leaderboard one Saturday under O’Connor’s husband David when she was sidelined through injury, posted an average score of 77.05% over the seven weeks.

While Currie and Arodstown Aramis won the Vanda Stewart-assessed three-runner Intermediate class on 66.2%, their score of 69.3 before the same judge in the 10-strong Novice section was only good enough for second behind Katie McKee and Summit (69.8)

A law student at Queen’s, McKee credits her mother Elaine with keeping her horses fit during the week. The nine-year-old Je t’Aime Flamenco gelding Summit was bred in Co Down by June Burgess out of her event mare, Olive Oyle (by Nadar).

With 34 entries, the Intro class was divided last Saturday.

Janet Hall judged Section A where her winner on 70% was the previous weekend’s successful combination of Belfast’s Clodagh McBride riding Stan and Cindy Cunningham’s home-bred Barnfield Indian Sky. With additional points from the jumping phases, the 16-year-old GSCE student and the 14-year-old Apache Chief mare finished fourth in the league on 71 points.

England-born Zara Loftus chose this final leg of the Flexi Eventing series to make her competitive debut in Ireland and impressed when finishing second on HSH Global High Hopes (66.8). A long-distance HGV driver, Loftus purchased the traditionally-bred eight-year-old Prince Of Thieves gelding just as Covid struck and had just hacked and hunted him since then.

Two combinations scored over 70% in the Vanda Stewart-judged Section B where the honours went to Jackie Hanna with the ISH gelding Elamo Royal Diamond (73.3%). This was a third win in the series for Hanna and her traditionally bred bay who is by Colin Diamond out of a thoroughbred mare. Amy Salmon placed second with her 18-year-old chesnut gelding Consequencial (72.5).

While some of those who competed over the seven weeks of the flexi-eventing series will be back at The Meadows today, others will be taking this Saturday off in advance of the two-phase event at Tyrella next Saturday.

The Northern Region’s season of EI one-day events commences at the Corbett family’s Co Down estate on Saturday, March 26th.

There is nothing scheduled for Saturday, March 19th as the Region’s pre-season awards ball takes place in the La Mon Hotel & Country Club the previous evening.