ASHBROOK Riding Club staged its annual Derby Day show last Sunday at Killossery Lodge Stud, where competitors were mainly drawn from the North Eastern Region of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs, but there were some interlopers as well.

While they had some success in dressage, the raiders failed to break through the regional defences in the Horse Mad Store Derby jumping section, where Cheval’s Laura Carrick, who had competed herself seven days early, manned the judge’s box in the Clifton Lass Arena.

Only two clear rounds were recorded in the 70cm class where, as she was closer to the optimum time (141 seconds), Mullaghmore secretary Kerrie Ryan claimed the honours on Chester Cake (138.03), the 22-year-old chesnut gelding, who she also competes in dressage. Kilronan treasurer Sinead Nolan finished second with Robin (130.06).

Killossery’s Craig Ennis was some way off the optimum time (133 seconds) in the 80cm class, but his speedy round on Meko (121.22) was the only one that was clear. Another winning chesnut, the 16-year-old Porsch gelding is out of a Powerswood Purple mare. While he did a small bit of registered jumping, Meko was better known on the Eventing Ireland circuit, where he was first produced by James O’Haire.

There were no optimum times set in the 90cm and 1m classes – nor were there any clear rounds.

Three riders had just one pole down apiece in the 90cm class, the fastest four-fault round being recorded by Copperfield’s Aoife Keogh on the Connemara gelding Cloon Apollo (122.54), a 15-year-old grey son of Funambule II. In the past, this combination has competed in the Connemara performance hunter class at Dublin and under Dressage Ireland rules.

Drynam’s Stacy Forsyth finished second on Granpas Grey Mist (123.45) with Border Counties’ Róisín Ní Ríoc placing third on Colin Clover (136.27).

It was a similar story in the 1m class where three combinations each lowered a pole, Meath’s Barry Magan doing so in the fastest time on his Irish Sport Horse gelding Caltra Western Dream (122.2). This Sligo Candy Boy bay was evented for five seasons by first Jodie O’Keeffe and then Elizabeth Power, winning twice at EI110 level. The 11-year-old is out of the Colin Diamond mare Caltra Jessie, who is dam also of the Castlelawn Galloway gelding Caltra Western Boy (CSI4*).

Kilronan’s Claire Solon finished second with her eight-year-old Harlequin du Carel gelding, Harlequin du Clover (122.20), beating Boyneside’s Val Ward and his 22-year-old Aran gelding Venture (123.53) into third.

Bernie Foley and Bernie Webb both judged six classes in the two dressage arenas erected in the Kruisette arena. These included open classes, while here we are going to focus on the MJ Accounting graded competitions.

Drynam RC's Laura Lynam and DMF Meadow Lane won the the RCP1 at the Ashbrook RC Derby Day \ Sagittarian Photography

Winning for the Drynam club were Laura Lynam on her nine-year-old bay mare DMF Meadow Lane (69.72% in the RCP1), Sophie Lawlor with the ex-racehorse Getdowntobusiness (62.69 in the RCP2), an eight-year-old Imperial Monarch gelding who pulled up in two point-to-points, and Stacy Forsyth who, thanks to her collective mark, topped the leaderboard in the RCN with her skewbald gelding Texas Surf (70.52), an eight-year-old son of Grange Merlin Surf.

Ard Lú’s Karen McNulty won the walk/trot test on the 15-year-old piebald gelding My Man Oreo (70.29%), Cheval’s Gerry O’Byrne claimed the honours in the RCP3 with his Connemara gelding Doon Finn (70.38), a nine-year-old grey by Newgrange Lad, Kilronan’s Louise Somers topped the scores in the RCE with the Irish Draught gelding Indian Mist (65), her 15-year-old Cappa Cochise bay, and, from the Midlands region, Tara Hill’s Miia Ruuskanen won the RCM on Happy Gilmore (62.42), a 14-year-old ISH gelding by Lux Z.

The action continues in the North East Region tomorrow, when 10 teams are due to contest the regional RDS team show jumping qualifier at the Cheval grounds in Jordanstown, Oldtown, where the action gets under way at 10am. The following Sunday, the Ard Lú club is holding its May show at the Piperstown Equestrian Centre.