TOM Rowlatt McCormick recorded his first EI110 (J) success at Ballyvannon last Saturday since taking over the ride on MJI Cabernet from brother Ben.

Despite the addition of 8.8 cross-country time penalties, the Ballynahinch rider proved the fastest in this phase in the seven-strong field. He had a point in hand at the finish over recent Silver Spurs winner, Chloe Fagan, who was slightly slower over the fixed fences with Amy Parsons’s well-bred Quick Step Up (47.6).

Also up from Co Westmeath, Jodie O’Leary led after dressage on My Ballintoghers Cracker Jack (35) but dropped behind with a fence down show jumping before cross-country time penalties gave them a finishing score of 51.4 for third.

Rowlatt McCormick won the EI100 (P) national championship at Kilguilkey House last September on Mon Ami Tonnerre and has been riding both animals for much of this season. However, in recent weeks we have seen the pony partnered by Caoimhe Crozier and Anna McCaldin, the latter finishing third on the Jobanker Mystic Mink gelding in the EI90 (P) on Saturday.

MJI Cabernet, who won the EI110 (J) national championship under Ben last September, is a nine-year-old by Natal and is owned in partnership between Ben and Tom’s mother, Fran, and Joanne Jarden. Although she led after dressage on 36.5 penalties, a stop across the country saw Crozier finish third of three in the EI110 (P) with Kildromin Banjo.

Here, the winner was Fethard’s Richard Quirke who recorded the only jumping double clear on his mother Judy’s Cullion Kemira who amassed 15.6 cross-country time penalties for a total of 53.9. The 10-year-old grey mare is by the Connemara stallion Ganty Blazer and was bred in Co Tyrone by David Finlay out of the Corran Ginger mare Corran Jenny.

Only eight of the 15 starters in the EI100 (J) completed. There was one withdrawal, four combinations were eliminated in the show jumping ring while two received the big E on the final phase.

The first three all completed on their flat work marks led by the dressage winner, Hannah Lawlor, who recorded her second success at this level from just four starts on her mother Aideen’s 11-year-old bay gelding, Clougheen Cody (24.5).

Ruth Burke filled the runner-up position with her new ride, the previous week’s Tatteralls winner, SRS Mini Vendi (24.8). Chloe Fagan finished on the same score with the ex-racehorse Loughnavalley (her mount at the Silver Spurs finals) but, while Burke was four seconds under the time across the country, Fagan was 15 and so had to settle for third.

Having started her season quite late with two EI90 (P) wins at Glaslough 1 and 2, Ballyclare’s Felicity McConnell made it third time lucky at EI100 (P) level when claiming Saturday’s six-runner class on her mother Joyce’s 10-year-old skewbald gelding, Finding Nemo (32.4). Their completion score included 4.4 cross-country time penalties.

Tori Jewiss led after dressage (27.5) but picked up eight show jumping penalties and 5.6 for time on the final leg with her Glaslough (2) winner, Carraigoir Blaze, on whom she finished second.