SCOTTISH international Becky Scott landed the six-runner EI115 at Tyrella last Saturday, having recorded the fastest cross-country round on her 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Athea Clover Dew.
With the only sub-30 penalty dressage score, Suzanne Hagan took an early lead with Karolita O (28.9), but she and the nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare picked up 9.6 time penalties over the fixed fences and 0.4 over the coloured poles for a total of 38.9.
Meanwhile, Scott and Athea Clover Dew added two cross-country time penalties to their dressage score (35.5) and moved to the top of the leaderboard.
“I knew the time would be tight, so just had to keep moving on,” said Scott who, with partner Duncan McFadyen is based in Tynagh at the Milchem Equestrian Centre of Ralph Conroy, chairman of the Western Region of Eventing Ireland. “The track asked a few questions, so I was really happy with my mare, who rode perfectly and jumped well.
“I travelled up with Godfrey Gibbons and his mother Maire, who did all the driving. As Godfrey was on early, we left at 2.45am and I got back to my place about 10pm. It was a pity it was raining more or less all day, as all I kept hearing at the event was how lovely the weather was the last day!”
Scott then spoke of future plans for her Sibon W bay Athea Clover Dew, who was bred in Co Limerick by John Joe Tierney out of Athea Clover Breeze (by Clover Clon VII). “I’ll probably go to Kilguilkey next, then do the 3*S at Millstreet and the two internationals at Kilguilkey. At the end of August, the plan is to compete at the final international at Blair Atholl. That was our local international when we lived in Scotland and it’s going to be a major loss.”
Scott was heading to Hillcrest on Monday to support McFadyen, pony rider Oisin McDonagh plus Godfrey Gibons and his sister Katie.
“We’re now getting horses ready for Dublin, so it’s very busy,” said Scott.
“Duncan may go for the young event horse qualifiers, and the Burghley qualifier at Millstreet, with a couple of youngsters, while we also have an Irish Draught and a Connemara for the performance classes.”
EI100
Competing at Badminton this weekend, Sarah Ennis left the country on the back of a win on her own Dolmen Stellor Design (24.5) in Saturday’s EI100, where the top seven on the final leaderboard all completed on their Lucinda Webb-Graham-awarded dressage scores. Gemma Esler finished second and third with the seven-year-old unraced thoroughbred gelding Punters Dream (24.8) and the similarly-aged Ramiro B mare Remember Bea (26.3).
Craig Hills led after the first phase on Squeak’s Bubble (21.3), but this thoroughbred gelding had a fence down show jumping before a slow cross-country round gave him a total of 36.1. Of the 31 starters, there was one retirement on the final phase, where just three other combinations had problems in jumping.
Fifth on his debut here last month, the Jack Murphy-bred Dolmen Stellor Design, who has 80 Showjumping Ireland points, is a seven-year-old ISH gelding by Quantino. The bay’s dam is the Murphy-bred Dolmen Deja Vu mare Dolmen Dimension.
This was the first year for John and Hannah Corbett to host the Northern Region events at Tyrella, where their efforts, and those of the organisers, officials and volunteers, were much appreciated by riders in this weather-affected season.
The two events and the earlier two-phase competition at the seaside venue attracted nearly 900 entries.