KILKENNY’s Sarah O’Donnell and Tipperary’s Yousef Sallam won a week’s training bursary to the Army Equitation School when finishing first and second in the Irish Pony Club/Mackey show jumping Classic 1.20m final at Coilóg Equestrian Centre last Sunday.

Surprisingly, given her family’s many successes in IPC activities, Sarah is the first of the O’Donnells to win this bursary and she did so on her sister Grace’s Diamond Infinity. The Gowran rider competed at the Dublin Horse Show last month with Glor Tire Cruise.

Yousef, who takes part in most IPC activities, picked up four faults at the first element of the double (11ab) on his mother Gael’s Besser von Tulisa. Yousef, who recently passed his B Test, is a regular competitor on SJI’s young rider circuit.

In the 21-runner Classic Finder over a 1.10m track, Sallam and Besser von Tulisa could only finish fifth. Three time faults prevented them from going forward to the jump-off where the fastest of three double clears was recorded by Louth member Lee Grifferty.

Riding his mother Catriona’s Supreme Intent, Grifferty stopped the clock on 40.16. Cora Hurley of the Carbery Branch finished second in 43.06 on the former international eventer Tullineaskey Hi Ho.

There were 26 starters in the 1m Classic with four combinations taking on the shortened track in the jump-off. Comfortably the fastest of these was Muskerry’s Tara O’Sullivan who was home clear in 43.07 on her mother Edel’s Rowanhill Master Clover. Carlow’s Caelinn McCabe slotted into second on the 144cms gelding, Knockmanagh Prince (44.74).

Twenty-two combinations came forward for the Classic 90cms final with eight of these progressing to the jump-off. The sole clear round was recorded by Kildare’s Eliza-Jane Queally riding the former Grade A 138cms pony, Wellview Amigo. With four faults, Wicklow’s Robert Cherry finished second on Flowerhill Bobby.