DENIS Currie left nothing to chance in his bid to win the 2024 Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series at The Meadows, as he competed his Irish Sport Horse gelding Arodstown Aramis in two dressage classes last Saturday plus the show jumping and cross-country phases.

On the level, Currie and his 19-year-old Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan bay comfortably won the four-runner Intermediate where Lucinda Webb-Graham had the long-standing combination on the impressive score of 76.6%. Here, Ella Boyle finished second on 68.7 with Samiro Cruze MC (aka Tiger).

For the second time this year, David Lee travelled up from Dublin to judge at The Meadows, where he was faced by 14 starters in the Novice class. He awarded his highest score (77.8%) to Boyle and her ISH gelding Samiro Cruz MC, the Samgemjee nine-year-old on whom she placed fifth of 24 in the CCI2*-L at Ballindenisk in September.

Katie McKee slotted into second with Summit (72.3), ahead of locally-based Australian international Symone Brown riding Merlot (72) and Currie with Arodstown Aramis (71.8). With a fence down show jumping, Currie failed to pick up points over the coloured poles, but did so when recording a clear round over the 1m cross-country track.

There were 23 starters in both sections of the Intro class.

David Lee judged Section A, where his winners were the league runners-up, Carys Black and her mother Lindsay’s nine-year-old grey gelding Glencairns Little Monkey (67.5). Katie McKee finished second here too, but this time on her nine-year-old skewbald gelding Water Paint (66.8).

Stewartstown’s Robert Newell made it three wins from four starts when landing the Lucinda Webb-Graham-judged Section B on his ISH gelding Louis The Thirteenth (70%), a 10-year-old son of Sligo Candy Boy. Holly Rice placed second with the league’s top-placed thoroughbred, Supreme Dream (66.8).

Coreen Abernethy had a long stint as judge for the Pre-Novice class, where there were 34 starters whose scores ranged from 57.3 to 70%.

That top mark was achieved by Gemma Esler on board her own and Norma Wilkinson’s ISH mare Remember Bea, the seven-year-old Ramiro B bay on whom Esler won the EI90 national championship at Kilguilkey House last September. Claire Ireland secured third place in the league when finishing second here on Goin For Gold (69.8).