HOLLY Wray rode two horses in the EI100 at Tullymurry 2 last Saturday, leading all the way to record a first win on the Irish Sport Horse mare R Diva (28 penalties) and finishing fourth on her own traditionally-bred ISH gelding Conor, whose total (32.4), on his fourth Eventing Ireland start, included 1.6 cross-country time penalties.
The Wray pair were split by the Lesley Jones-ridden seven-year-old Quality Choice (31) and the Jonny Steele-partnered Cosmic Dancer (32), both of whom competed on their first phase scores. Three of the 21 starters failed to finish, one for jumping an incorrect fence in the show jumping ring and one for three cumulative refusals across the country. Casey Webb retired the usually reliable Our Pollyanna following two refusals at the first element of the Windmill Water at 6abc.
“It was the first EI100 track for both my horses,” said Wray, a veterinary nurse who has been competing Helen Anderson’s R Diva since the start of last season. The 2015 Tolan R mare, who had finished second on her last three starts, was bred in Co Derry by Robert Woods out of the Ricardo Z mare Lough Arrow Rebel.
“I thought it was a nice inviting course with a few educational questions for them, they gained a lot of confidence as they went around, despite the weather!
"The aim is to go to the National Championships in September and to get a few more confident runs at EI100 level.”
Ian McCluggage recorded an all-the-way victory in the 27-strong EI90 on Jan and Lindsay Martin’s home-bred ISH gelding Meadowspring (21.5 penalties), a tall, seven-year-old by Gortfree Hero, who was having his fourth start. Gillian Neill likewise recorded a pillar-to-post win in the 22-runner EI80 on board her ISH gelding The Crafty Fox (27), a six-year-old Lancelot gelding who, too, was competing in EI company for the fourth time.