BORDER Counties weren’t represented in The Irish Field team challenge at the recent AIRC Festival but made up for that lapse when winning the Connolly’s Red Mills regional team qualifier at Killossery Lodge Stud last Sunday.

Traditionally one of the strongest teams in this discipline in the North East Region, the Co Monaghan-based Border Counties club won on a combined score of 424.16% with Castle Hill finishing second (421.49) ahead of Drynam One (414.09). All riders on the day rode in two tests.

The winning team comprised Advanced Primary riders Gemma Kelly with her 13-year-old piebald gelding Old Orchards Greg and Kirsten Winsryg riding the skewbald Cavalier Bobby Jo, a 14-year-old gelding by Cavalier Jump For Joy, plus the Primary level pair of Kileane Goubert with the evergreen 23-year-old chesnut gelding Cloncaw Smartie and Sarah Lester on the 19-year-old Welsh mare Langarth Donna.

Individuals

Unlike the team competition, the qualifiers for the individual championships at the final are open to members of any club in the AIRC. There were a few ‘outsiders’ competing on Sunday but all winners of the White’s Agri-sponsored classes came from within the NER.

In the Primary class, Lester and Langarth Donna were beaten into second (70.37) by Castle Hill’s Klara Ralph O’Connor riding the 17-year-old bay gelding, Castleview Ozzie (74.03). However, Border Counties struck back by landing the Advanced Primary qualifier through Kelly and Old Orchards Greg.

Riding her Irish Draught mare Grey Dawn Rebel, a nine-year-old by Creevagh Grey Rebel, Stacy Forsyth recorded a narrow victory at Intermediate level for Drynam.

Cheval’s Claire O’Dwyer took the honours at Advanced Intermediate level on the 2011 West Coast Cavalier mare, Why Worry (69.95), ahead of the hard-working regional secretary, Castle Hill’s Lindsey Ilona Brady, on Trigger Joe (69.18).

High grades

The two highest-graded classes went to members of Ashbrook. Mairead Dolan comfortably landed the Open with her 16-year-old Touchdown gelding, Master Touch, before Michael Moore filled the first two places in the four-strong Advanced Open with Guaranteed Gold (67.83) and Smart Decision (67.42).

The judges on Sunday were Vida Tansey, Donie McNamara, David Lee, Damien McCormack, Lucinda Webb-Graham and Jane Whitaker. The last-named also compiled the times for the three arenas (one indoor).

McNamara commented favourably on the standard of riding, saying it was quite high.