POSTPONED because of Storm Ashley in mid-October, the CoilÓg leg of the DAFM eventing autumn development series was staged at the Co Kildare venue last Sunday when, as is so often the case, the entry was a lot smaller than that made for the original date.

Two of the three combined training classes were won by riders who have supported the series throughout, Sarah Ennis and Alyssa O’Neill, with the former landing the AE100 for five-year-olds on her amazing dressage score of 13.5 penalties with the Dutch Warmblood gelding Ordonnay.

The Co Meath rider added to her prize money haul, when also finishing second on board the ISH mare DS Are You Calypso (20), with O’Neill placing third and fourth on the ISH-registered pair DS Are You Tom (22.5) and Dermish Coney (25). Four of the 10 starters erred in the show jumping phase.

“I always like to see Derval (Diamond) judging young horse classes and have even more reason to do so now!” said Ennis, who added of her winner, “he will have a bit of a break and will be produced to event at 1.10m level next year.”

By Jardonnay VDL, Ordonnay was imported into Ireland as a three-year-old by Greg and Ausra Clarke of Quagga Sport Horses, from whom Ennis purchased the bay in the early summer this year. Being out of the Iroko mare Rowerna, he is a half-brother to the Zirocco Blue VDL-sired Jirocco (1.40m).

Leading after the dressage phase with the consistent Dolmen Stellor Design (27.25 penalties), Ennis could have doubled up in the AE110 for six and seven-year-olds. Instead, however, because of a boot infringement, she and her 2017 Quantino gelding were eliminated following their clear show jumping round. Amazingly, the same fate for the same reason befell the rider’s sister Nicola with Devils Cape (30).

On hand to take the win in the 11-runner class was locally-based Alyssa O’Neill, who completed on her flat phase score with the ISH gelding DS Candescent (28), who had beaten Dolmen Stellor Design into second at Milchem. Up from Co Limerick, Danielle Magner and Rodney O’Donnell finished second and third on their dressage scores with the ISH geldings Hillcrest Home Run (29) and Hillcrest Harbour (29.5) respectively.

A six-year-old son of Sligo Candy Boy, DS Candescent was bred in Co Mayo by Liam Lynskey out of the Cruising For Chics mare Largan Lady Cruise. In an interview with Róisín Sheridan, which was carried in these pages on Saturday, October 19th, O’Neill revealed that she jointly-owned ‘Dasher’ with her long-term supporter, Deborah McCann.

The pair purchased the bay directly from Lynskey as a three-year-old and, while placed in the RDS at four, he really began to make a name for himself in 2023, highlighting his season when finishing reserve in the five-year-old young event horse championship at the Dublin Horse Show.

Earlier this year, he was third, and the highest-placed of his generation, in the six and seven-year-old show jumping championship at Balmoral Show, while he won a leg of the show jumping autumn development series in JAG Equestrian back in September. He also has 13 Eventing Ireland points and concluded his season with a double clear for 12th place in the CCI2*-L at Ballindenisk International in September.

O’Neill, who is marketing manager at Equilume, was one of the few Irish buyers at the recent Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, where she gave €29,000 for Peter Smyth’s Urbalreagh Knockalla, a four-year-old chesnut A Quidam M gelding out of a Mermus R half-sister to the Courage II mare Diamonds Courage (1.45m).

Four-year-olds

Sunday’s seven-runner AE90 for four-year-olds went to the newcomer Hasenacher Forrest Gump, a striking Oldenburg gelding, who is being produced by Kilcullen’s Ben Connors for Swiss owner/breeder Barbara Keller.

Connors and the skewbald completed on their winning dressage score (24.75) to see off Sarah Ennis and ‘Sunny’ (26.25), her home-bred ISH gelding by Colandro. Co Westmeath’s Emily Murphy finished third on ‘Sheila’, her thoroughbred mare by Harzand, whose total of 30 included four show jumping penalties.

Hasenacher Forrest Gump moved to Connors in August and, following a short settling in period, has been competing in unregistered show jumping classes. He is on the market but, if not sold, will continue jumping over the winter and then be produced as an event horse next year.

The winner is by the Belgian Warmblood stallion Visage van de Olmenhoeve, while his dam is the 2016 Anglo European Studbook-registered skewbald Hasenacher Bondasca, who gets her colouring from her sire Semper Spirit. Forrest Gump has an Irish connection through his grandam, the non-winning thoroughbred mare Jessies Muppets, who was by Anshan, the sire of Andromaque (CCI4*) and such good racehorses as Asian Maze, Powerstation and McKelvey.