TWO riders who featured in these pages during lockdown partnered winners as the Stepping Stones to Success league for young event horses, which was postponed from the spring, got underway at Wexford Equestrian on Tuesday.

First up, Louise Codd landed the Childeric four-year-old section on her own Mermus R gelding Rossa Sixteen. “It was the perfect start,” said Codd. “The sun shone all day and this year’s format of show jumping in the new sand arena and then crossing the Melling Road, as I called it, into the old arena in front of the house for the cross-country phase, worked perfectly.

“Rossa Sixteen is the last horse I bought with William (her late partner William Codd). I was pregnant at the time so, with little to do one day, we headed over to Galway where we bought this fellow as a yearling from his breeder, Eamonn Hogan. I broke him last year and he grew a lot when turned out for a few months.

“The postponement suited him as he was quite weak in the spring. I will do a couple more qualifiers with him and possibly one or two of the YES qualifiers but am also considering the four-year-old championship at the Breeders’ Classic as he is a very good jumper.”

Rossa Sixteen is out of the Limmerick mare Femme Fatale M2S, a half-sister to Ringfort Cruise (by Cruising) and Renkum Englishman (by Renkum Arturo).

Melanie Wrynn and Ardeo Gold won the first five-year-old Stepping Stones to Success league class \ Tadhg Ryan Bit-Media

A tight team

The owner and rider, husband and wife duo of Neil and Melanie Wrynn claimed the top two placings in the Childeric five-year-old section with Dutch Warmbloods. Their Numero Uno mare, Ardeo Gold, won on a score of 188.9 points ahead of her stable-companion, the Starpower gelding Ardeo Bright Star (183).

“We sourced Ardeo Gold in January through Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses,” said Melanie of the successful bay who is out of the Lupicor mare Aurora. “She is a total professional, loves performing and has all the qualities to be a top horse. We would be aiming to run her in an EI110 before the end of the season.”

The White family of Garrybritt Stud brought three unraced home-bred thoroughbred mares by September Storm to Tuesday’s qualifier and all finished in the ribbons.

Best of the trio was Garrybritt Sally, winner of the NutriScience thoroughbred class under Commandant Terence White who had partnered the six-year-old into fourth place in the EI90 at Frankfort Stud the previous Saturday. She is out of the Zaffaran mare Pennyworth who has bred one winner on the track, Grays Choice (by Well Chosen).

Eight of the 34 entries in the Equijump pony class competed on Tuesday but the majority did so on Wednesday morning including the narrow winner, Woody Sammy, who was ridden by his owner, Christine O’Donnell of Bramblestown Sport Horses.

One of many pure Connemaras in the class, the five-year-old Woody Sammy is by Woodfield Sammy out of the Westside Mirah mare Westside Princess. Bred in Roscommon, Co Galway by Brendan Noone, the grey was purchased last year at Clifden Sales. Then just broken, he was hunted with the Carlow Farmers over the winter and will be campaigned in various disciplines for the remainder of the summer.

Terence White and Garrybritt Sally won the thoroughbred class \ Tadhg Ryan Bit-Media