Stonehaven Equestrian Centre’s Ciara Power didn’t have the best of starts to Tuesday with her two four-year-old mares but bounced back to win the Slaney View Honda five-year-old class and league with OBOS Impressive.

“I don’t know if it was me or them but things just didn’t go right with the four-year-olds who had been good up to now, but were just too well in themselves today,” said Power, who has a very good record with mares and has a lot of them to compete this year.

OBOS Impressive, who is owned by the unrelated Sharon Power, is by OBOS Quality 004 out of OBOS Nancy Broone. She was bred by Marie O’Brien and comes from the family of the 2011 Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale graduate OBOS Pepperpot, who is eventing at international two-star level in the USA, and OBOS Raphael III, who represents Belgium at three-star level also in America.

“Sharon, who is a client in the yard and events Stonehavens Master Class, had Paul Donovan looking for a suitable horse for her to ride and, after about a year, he came up with this mare, who I’m bringing on. After a break, I may do one or two FEHL qualifiers with Impressive and some show jumping and perhaps give her another intro run towards the end of the season,” explained Power. “We did an intro at Lisgarvan but, with the ground deteriorating, withdrew after show jumping. However, we’re really looking at next year when we’d love her to be selected for Le Lion.”

Third place in the league went to another produce of OBOS Quality, Paddy Byrne’s chesnut BGS Class Affair, who won a pre-novice at Ballindenisk in March on his second start of the season. A regular competitor during the Stepping Stones series, this gelding was bred by Maurice O’Brien out of his Laughton’s Flight mare Rubys Rosshaven Flight, who has since had three foals by Kroongraaf.

Sharing second in Tuesday’s final round was Lindsay Graham’s Graf Maypole who Irish Horse World eventing reporter Sally Parkyn tipped as One To Watch following the Metropole mare’s win in Intro at Gurteen.

The bay is out of Brian Livingstone’s Porsch mare Graf Phantom, a half-sister to the three-star eventer Graf Liberty and was recommended to Graham by Suzanne Hagan.

“I bought her at the end of December and she’s never put a foot wrong,” said the owner/rider.

“After a break, she’ll do a bit of show jumping and then I may run her at Grove. I’m going to pick and choose which event I go to and the targets next year are Tattersalls and Le Lion. There has been a lot of interest in her and she could easily make it as a show jumper, as she’s a jumping machine.”

Joint second was Daisy Duggan with Gary French’s home-bred Master Imp gelding JMF Harvey Imp, who is out of the Coevers Diamond Boy mare Tuamgraney Diamond. The bay will be first into the arena in the five-year-old Irish Sport Horse eventing series tomorrow at Killossery Lodge Stud.