IT was disappointing, and worrying, that there were only 138 entries at Rosanna (1) last Sunday and that just nine of these were listed to start over the highest-rated EI115 track.

However, the lack of opposition mattered little to Northern Region member Janie Cairns who, in landing the six-runner ECT Sand and Gravel EI115 on Premier Charlie, was recording her first success at this level and the first since the surgery she had to undergo late last year.

Cairns, whose Kensington Sport Horses operation is based outside Newtownards, added 7.6 cross-country time penalties to her Damien McCormack-awarded dressage score to win on 44.7 ahead of Robbie Collins on Dunrath Navigator whose total of 49.8 included 13.2 time penalties over the fixed fences.

Making a return to the eventing sphere since his last outing here in May 2018, Commandant Geoff Curran also recorded a double clear but, with a slow cross-country round (32 penalties) finished fifth on Sea Whitestrand (71.6).

“I’m so pleased with this win and I’m really happy to be back out riding and competing,” said Cairns.

“I had my foot crushed in 2020 which resulted in four surgeries on it – the most recent when having it fused just before Christmas – so my horses have been in and out of work throughout it all. I feel stronger than I have since it happened and having Charlie win here just made it all the better.

“The course had a lot of questions on it and it was long and twisty. These twisty courses don’t usually suit Charlie, as he’s so big to turn, but he just flew round it – he loves his cross country! I’ll be aiming him at a three-star long next and, meanwhile, will get some of my younger horses out jumping.

“I’m very lucky that my parents, David and Joanne, and my granny, Carole Coates, own Charlie with me; they let me make the decisions with him and trust the process. My granny had no interest in horses before – apart from watching me! However, when Sharon (Kelly, equine physiotherapist) was going to sell Charlie when he was younger, granny bought into him with us. She now loves watching him compete, especially at internationals.

“I’m also very lucky to have other great owners who have continued to support me and bring their horses back to me despite the many breaks I’ve had to take.”

This season, Kelly has a four-year-old, Bluestone Chrome, with Cairns and both owner and producer are very excited about this Bluestone Sci Fi half-brother to Bluestone Ice (CCI4*-S). Incidentally, the former Kelly-owned Bob Chaplin, a 2011 Cashell gelding who was known as Aaroch when briefly campaigned here by Emma Jackson, topped the final CCI4*-S leaderboard at Houghton Hall last weekend under Tom McEwen who led Britain to success in the Nations’ Cup competition.

James O’Haire finished first and second in the three-runner ECT Sand and Gravel EI115 (Open). His win came on the nine-year-old Clover Echo gelding Dalestown Castlebar HFS, whose slow double clear gave him a total of 67.2 while he placed second on the dressage winner Liberty Belle who picked up her first cross-country jumping penalties since August 2019 for a total of 86.

O’Haire’s task was made all the more easier when his sole rival, Michael O’Toole, omitted one of the 25 cross-country fences with First Obama who was on 36.8 after dressage.

Concerns

Delighted with how the day ran on Sunday, Rosanna’s John Wilding, shares the concerns of other event venue owners across the country, and others in the sport, regarding low entry numbers. “Normally we would get the 300 entries with up to 200 in by the Monday,” he commented. “This year, they trickled in and, if we hadn’t left them open for an extra day, we wouldn’t have got up to 138 and then we certainly would have lost money.

“As it was, we barely broke even. We put a lot of work and money, without any grants, into upgrading 20 fences and changing the profiles of all while we had to pay out thousands in prize money.

“No matter what the entry, it takes the same amount of money and effort to get an event up and running.

“Owners and riders should get their entries in early as it’s only fair on landowners and organisers. We’re holding another Eventing Ireland one-day on June 18th (this day fortnight) when, hopefully, the number of entries will be a lot higher.”