MANY congratulations to Lilly McBride and Harry Kelly who, on Wednesday, represented Area 17 of The Pony Club at the London International Horse Show, where they won and finished third respectively in the highly-competitive GS Equestrian Pony Club Mini Major competition.

Eight-year-old Harry, who is a member of the North Derry Branch, and his international partner, Britain’s Sebastian Hughes, were drawn first to go in the eight pair event. Hughes was clear on Colorado Volo then handed over to Harry who, too, left all the poles intact on Ballymagan Equine’s 16-year-old grey mare Paris, setting the standard in 23.55 seconds.

They stayed in front until the fourth pair to compete, Lilly McBride and Britain’s Matthew Sampson, recorded their double clear in 21.5. Sampson was on board the Irish Sport Horse gelding Curraghgraigue OBOS Flight, who he later rode in the day’s 1.50m two-phase class, while Lilly, who is a member of the Fermanagh Branch, partnered Poynstown Little Albert Einstein, an eight-year-old brown gelding who is better known as Albert.

For a while, it looked as if there might be a one-two finish for Area 17 but, disappointingly, the last pair in, Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca (Carison 86) and the Zetland Hunt Branch’s Alex Leggott (Blossom’s Ukkepuk Van Uuyversputten), were clear in 22.15, which pushed Kelly and Hughes down into third.

While 10-year-old Lilly disappeared out of the ring, Matt Sampson was interviewed and said: “I don’t think I’ve ever tried so hard around a 1.20m course in my life!” When she came back for the prize-giving ceremony, Lilly made the most of her lap of honour, punching the air several times as she had done following her super-fast clear round.

While the plan was for Lilly’s family to travel to London en masse to support her at the show, the disruption to travel from Dublin to Holyhead because of the damage caused by Storm Darragh to the Welsh port meant they had to revise their plans and not everyone could attend the show. So Lilly was accompanied by her mother Jane, brother Rory (8) and sister Mary (7), as they went from Belfast to Cairnryan followed by a nine-hour drive down to London.

There they found themselves staying in the same hotel as Buncrana’s Harry Kelly and his family, who had always planned on taking the Belfast/Cairnryan route.

“We don’t know how we’re getting home, but we’re not too worried!” a delighted Jane McBride revealed to the Irish Horse World on Thursday morning. “We were always going to stay in London until Saturday (today) to see Albert’s former rider Sam Widger compete in the Green Mile Bedding Mini Stakes, so we might go back to Ireland through Fishguard with them. Lilly winning has made everything worthwhile!”