EI 90

UP until last Saturday, Sarah Sproule hadn’t competed under Eventing Ireland rules since Loughanmore in 2021 when she finished third in the EI110 on Ballyneety Rainbow.

After selling that Butlers Cravat gelding, Sproule reinvested in the Irish Sport Horse mare Ballyneety Cavalier Imp who did some young horse classes but not much else last year as her owner/rider brought her along slowly. On Saturday, the bay daughter of Cavalier Land made her EI debut in the EPS EI90 at Hazeldene where her owner/rider kept it simple by completing on her joint-winning dressage score (23.5 penalties).

Elaine O’Connor, who had shared the top spot after phase one on Echo Falls Hilltop, had little luck with that seven-year-old in the jumping phases, but did finish second on her mother Marian Turley’s home-bred Tullymurry Grace (25.8), a five-year-old mare by Chillout. The only other final sub-30 score was recorded on Jackie Harris’ newcomer Moneyquid Velvet (28.5) by Lois Thompson who hadn’t competed with EI for over a year.

Ballyneety Cavalier Imp, who was bred in Co Wicklow by Michael Byrne out of the Master Imp mare Ricardos Imp will ultimately be for sale. “I’d like to have her up to 1.10 level before then,” said Sproule who works with successful point-to-point trainer Warren Ewing. “She’ll probably go to Glaslough next and do a few more 90s before moving up to EI100 before the end of the season.”

See View From Above, page 18.