CAROLINE McQuillan and Belle Saru, who were making their first start as a combination since landing the EI100 (Amateur) title at the Eventing Ireland national championships in September 2022, won the Pre-Novice dressage during last Saturday’s fourth leg of this year’s Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series at The Meadows.

Thirty-nine combinations came before Vanda Stewart who awarded four of them scores over 70%. Taking the honours on 76.8 were McQuillan and the unraced thoroughbred mare Belle Saru (76.8) with Dundalk-based Colin Halliday next best on dressage newcomer Codys Glasgow.

This six-year-old Glasgow Van’t Merelsnest gelding, who has 14 Show jumping Ireland points, is owned by Colin and his wife Orlagh, in partnership with Grace O’Shaughnessy.

Veterinary nurse Ciarraí Rice slotted into third riding Lady J (72.5), the 2016 Irish Sport Horse mare by Hallo Picasso, on whom she finished second in the EI100 (Amateur) national championship at Kilguilkey House last September, while young Tilley Tumilty claimed fourth spot with Wee Fella (71).

Belle Saru was also partnered into ninth place (69.3%) by McQuillan’s sister Rosemary Bellew, who is joint-owner of the Sageburg eight-year-old and competed her three times under Eventing Ireland rules last season – placing fifth twice and second once at EI100 (Amateur) level.

In 2023, McQuillan concentrated on producing a young thoroughbred mare, since sold, and is now on the outlook for another blueblood to bring along. “I plan to start eventing Belle Saru again this coming season,” she said. “Saturday was our first visit to the flexi eventing this year, but we hope to attend the last few rounds.”

Thoroughbred’s shine

Another thoroughbred on the mark on Saturday was Baile An Sceilig who, ridden by 16-year-old Anna Morrow for her mother Siobhan, landed Section B of three Intro classes. This 19-runner division was judged by Genny Belton, who awarded the winners a score of 74%, while Belfast physiotherapist Christine McVeigh earned a mark of 73.5 for her test on Lenny, which saw them finish second.

The Morrows purchased ‘Squirrel’ a few months ago from Ella Boyle, who herself bought him in March last year and began retraining the chesnut. Although he had spent some time elsewhere, Baile An Sceilig had once been in training with former event rider Caroline McCaldin (née Dennison) for whom he ran in one point-to-point, being pulled up in a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Fairyhouse in April 2021. In common with Boyle, Anna is coached by Terry Boon.

Belton also judged Section C where, on the highest score of the day, Nicci Hall and the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare MJI Scarlet Rose (77.3%) recorded a narrow victory over Ros Morgan riding VOS Surprise (77). Hall evented her winning Cappa Cochise mare back in 2016 and 2017, but then sold her. She availed of the opportunity to buy the Joanne Jarden-bred chesnut back again last March and, when the mare didn’t go in foal, her owner/rider decided to put her back in work.

Eventing plans

Hall intends returning to the Eventing Ireland fold this year with MJI Scarlet Rose, as does Ros Morgan with the Anglo European Studbook-registered Vos Surprise. We are indebted to the Northern Region’s event co-ordinator Dora Beacom for providing us with the following information on the runner-up.

“Originally from Northern Ireland, Ros was a winner of The Pony Club dressage championship while representing the Killultagh Branch. She crossed the Channel to go to University and, following a stint in Japan, returned to London to set up home and start a family. Thirty years later, the thirst to return to her country of birth was sated as she has now relocated her family, both two-legged and four-legged, to Bushmills. Saturday’s competition represented the first dressage test Ros has ridden on Irish soil in 30 years – what a comeback!”

Twenty-three combinations came before Joanne Jarden in Section A, where her narrow winner was 14-year-old Sophie Cathcart, who achieved a score of 65.8% on board her mother Roisin’s Máistir Ruadh (aka Maverick). Having to settle for second on this occasion were the week one and week two winners, Kaiti McCann and her father Martin’s 15-year-old skewbald mare Boyher Cookies N Creme (65.3).

A third-year pupil at Devenish College, Enniskillen, Cathcart has competed Máistir Ruadh in showing, working hunter and show jumping and hopes to qualify the 2019 Trá Bháin Céileóg gelding for the riders under 16 class or the four and five-year-old class, both on the flat, at the Dublin Horse Show in August. Before then, the combination will be among the many descending on Cavan in late April for the Northern Ireland Festival, where Sophie will also ride Gillian Torrens’s Rosegate Valentine.