“WE’VE planned a deliberately quiet start to the eventing season but will pick up as the season progresses,” Hillsborough’s Clare Abbott revealed following her win on Drumnaconnell Kobie in the 25-runner EI110 at Lightsource BP Tyrella (3) last Saturday.

On just her third start of the campaign and her first on Lawrence Patterson’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding, Abbott was lying second after dressage on 24.3 to which she added 2.4 penalties for time across the Adam Stevenson-designed cross-country track which only caught out four combinations in jumping.

Basically, there was a dead-heat for second between Michael McNally on his third outing with Paula Stammschroer’s Assagart Earl and Alison Baird and her own TMS Freya as, with time penalties, they both completed on 31.9, McNally getting the nod with the faster cross-country time.

Suzanne Hagan led after the Rosie Gomes-judged dressage phase on Karolita O (24) but 12 show jumping penalties put paid to her chances so she took it handy on the final leg, dropping to 13th on 53.6.

Drumnaconnell Kobie, a seven-year-old by Road To Happiness out of Kings Jewel (by Kings Master), was previously competed by Patrick Whelan, Ian McCluggage and, most recently, Daniel Brown under whom he finished fourth in the CCI2*-L at Kilguilkey last July.

“Lawrence asked would I like to ride Kobie just after Christmas. He arrived with me at the end of February so we’ve gelled very quickly,” said Abbott. “He’s small and fast and he gave me a pretty awesome ride across the country. He’s super for his age, very confident, and it won’t be long before he goes intermediate. We’re going to Necarne and then Millstreet next.

“The long term plan for him is Le Lion while I have Blenheim and Boekelo as autumn targets for some of my other horses. We have lovely young horses to jump too, a five-year-old and a seven-year-old aimed at the HSI classes and hopefully Dublin qualifiers, and some really lovely four-year-olds for both disciplines.”

There were only six starters in the EI110 (Open) won by Co Meath’s Elizabeth Power on Jodie O’Keeffe’s ISH gelding Caltra Western Dream, a 10-year-old bay by Sligo Candy Boy.