TWO Irish competitors shared the lead on 27.4 penalties after dressage in the Green Valley Transport CCI2*-S at last week’s SemaLease Kilguilkey House International, with Junior rider Ava Dowley going on to win on that score with Margaret Bowe’s Holstein mare IDA 83.

Disappointingly for locally-based Sian Coleman (who had hurt her ankle in a show jumping fall in the CCI3*-S), before Saturday’s cross-country phase she was forced to withdraw Darren O’Connor’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Newmarket Apollo (who had added 12.8 jumping penalties to his good flatwork mark) and the six-year-old ISH gelding Ballyvonare Rascal, who was on 33.3 penalties having lowered one of the coloured poles.

Of the 35 starters, four other combinations failed to complete, one being automatically eliminated when picking up 20 show jumping penalties, while one withdrew before cross-country.

There was one retirement over the fixed fences, one early elimination and one run-out late on the course.

It’s apt that 17-year-old Dowley should record her first international success at Kilguilkey, as the Co Wexford rider won at Michelle and Danny Dulohery’s Co Cork venue on her Eventing Ireland debut back in May 2019, landing the EI90 (P) class on the Connemara gelding Robin Hood’s Gentle Cloud.

This latest win also marked Dowley’s first success against senior riders with her closest rivals at the close of play on Saturday being Co Cork’s Michael Ryan with Carol and Tom Henry’s eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Tullibards Bennys Rainbow (33.8) and Co Dublin’s Ian Cassells riding Mary Phelan’s year younger ISH gelding AFS Ralph (30).

Last October, Dowley and the German-bred IDA 83, a grey daughter of Crumble, finished 13th of 29 in the CCI2*-S at San Quentin in France.

In August, they were placed in contrasting company, finishing third of 22 in the CCIYH2*-S at the Lisgarvan House International, not long after filling the runner-up slot in the Pony Club members’ combined training competition at the Dublin Horse Show, where she represented Area 4 and the Island Branch.