JASPER Kelly had three rides at last Sunday’s Eventing Ireland one-day at Blackstairs where he finished third in the EI100 (J) on Rathcline Moonlight Girl, second in the EI100 (P) with Coltstown Diamond and won the EI110 (P) on Fiona’s Fionn.

Maria Tyrell’s 13-year-old Connemara gelding by Monaghanstown Fionn faced only three rivals as he completed on his dressage score (30.8 penalties). His main challenger was the Ciara O’Connor-partnered Agharanny Minstrel who was two seconds over the time across the country for a total of 37.8.

Tinahely-based Kelly has spent the summer alongside Jim Tyrrell at Luke Drea’s yard at the Ballyellen Equestrian Centre in Co Wexford where he hopes to continue working as he starts Transition Year at Kilkenny College where he is a weekly boarder.

“I thought all the cross-country tracks rode well,” said 15-year-old Kelly. “The EI110 track was nice and big while the metre track was very well-presented. Rathcline Moonlight Girl will stick to metre classes for the season while both Fiona’s Fionn and Coltstown Diamond are heading for the national championships at Lisgarvan.

“Fiona’s Fionn is doing the two-star at Ballindenisk and, depending on the results at the nationals, I may run Coltstown Diamond there in the CCI1*-Intro but he is also entered in the 153cms working hunters at Balmoral. He has been going well in workers, being open champion at the Irish Pony Society championship show in Barnadown.”

The first four in the 12-runner EI100 (P) completed on their dressage scores. Kelly and Coltstown Diamond (33) finished between Rosie Mae O’Grady on Deirdre Loughran’s home-bred Irish Sport Pony gelding Wilderwood Storm (32.3) and Molly O’Connor riding Coolnaleen Rebel (34).

This was O’Grady’s second outing under EI rules on Wilderwood Storm, a 17-year-old Westside Mirah bay who won team silver for Ireland under Harry Swan at the 2018 European pony championships and had been campaigned in the intervening period by Britain’s Isny O’Donnell.

Seven of the nine starters in the EI100 (J) jumped double clears with just one of those failing to beat the clock on the final leg. The all-the-way winner was Rachael Doyle riding her mother Tanya’s OLS Inis Flaith (27.3). This was just a third start, and the first at this level, for the combination who landed an EI90 on their debut at Punchestown earlier in the month.

The 13-year-old Templebready Fear Bui gelding was bred out of the Ballinvella mare New Line Lady by Michelle Nelson who evented the bay herself as did her daughters Shannon and Zara.

Dorothy Good recorded her best finishing position to date when second with the six-year-old OBOS Quality 004 mare, Cruising Good Quality (31).

From four outings in EI90 (P) company this season, Skyla Nally notched up a second successive victory on Linda McGuirk’s 10-year-old Castlestrange Fionn gelding Mayfield Boy (28.3).