THERE were few similarities between conditions at Millstreet the previous Thursday for the Burghley young event horse qualifier and those at Tullylish on Tuesday for the first round of the 2024 Young Eventhorse Series.

Bagging the first qualifying ticket for the Dublin Horse Show was the Diarmuid Ryan-ridden Irish Sport Horse gelding BT Just Special who, with a disappointing dressage score, had finished seventh down in Co Cork, having started the season by winning the four-year-old Stepping Stones to Success league at Wexford Equestrian.

Here, in Section A, Bridget Speirs’s I’m Special de Muze home-bred, who is out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Robin Des Pres (boosting his TB percentage to 7.2), completed on a total of 287.7 points. Ciaran Moran booked the second ticket on offer with the Ulysses m2s mare Leave It With Me CAL m2s (282), who is registered with the Warmblood Studbook of Ireland.

Having been out of action for many months with a broken leg, it was good to see Jason Doerflinger qualify in third on the ISH gelding CSF Hollypark Giuseppe (275.8), a son of Verdi, while Rachael Thompson just missed out on doing so with Cooley Rosalent’s full-sister, Bellavalent (274.5).

Ryan is a veterinary surgeon and so too is Ciara Kinsella, winner of Section B by a wide margin on her home-bred ISH mare Tykillen Shindig, who is by Dignified van’t Zorgvliet out of Ballymurphy Queen (by Master Imp). Kinsella didn’t bring the bay to Millstreet, but did start her off successfully at Wexford Equestrian, qualifying for the ‘Star of the Future’ championship at Balmoral, where they finished third.

On 262.5, Gillian Beale King claimed the only other qualifying ticket on offer with Lawrence Patterson’s home-bred ISH gelding Drumnaconnell Monza (by Cormint), ahead of Sara Lundkvist and the ISH mare Sportsfield Cool Lady (262.2), who had finished second at Millstreet.

Five-year-olds

Based in nearby Gilford, Steven Smith won Section A of the five-year-old class on Bluestone Pharaoh (311.4), who is owned by longtime supporter, Gina Johnston. This black ISH gelding, who is a member of the first crop registered on CapallOir by the skewbald stallion Bluestone Talent, was bred locally by Cliff McDowell, out of the Calvados mare Via Pompidou.

Tim MacDonagh partnered the ISH gelding CSF Hollypark Rocco Blue to take the second qualifying ticket on 309.9, with the third going to the Nicola Ennis-ridden ISH gelding Tyson Junior (307), a bay son of Tyson. The Millstreet winner Ashwood Rio (Ciara O’Connor), who didn’t adapt as well to the natural terrain and having baulked at the water, finished down the field on 274.2.

Ennis moved up two places to impressively win Section B for her good supporter, Michele Dennigan, on HVL Air Springs (313.6), who has done a small amount of registered jumping. Bred in Co Wicklow by Tina McDermott, this ISH gelding by Air Jordan Z is out of Udana M (by Narcos II).

Fresh from his victory as a member of the winning Irish team in the eventing Nations Cup at Millstreet, Ian Cassells finished second on the ISH mare Peak Freestyler (308.4).

This bay daughter of Freestyle van de Wolfsakker did a bit of jumping last year with Jo Andrews. The Millstreet fourth, Sportsfield Super Star, filled the same position here on 302.9 under Corentin Gautier.