BALLINASLOE’s Katie Gibbons didn’t compete in Sunday’s second leg of the Eventing Ireland Western Region Starter Series, as she stayed at home studying, but her mother, Marie Dunne, who had driven her daughter and two horses to and from Tyrella on Saturday – a four and a half-hour journey each way – attended in her role as regional secretary.

Thankfully, their combined efforts had been rewarded at the Co Down estate, as Gibbons partnered Dunne’s Irish Sport Horse mare Milchem Free Spirit to an all-the-way victory in the 27-runner EI100 (J). The Contra A chesnut lowered one of the coloured poles, but an excellent dressage score of 19 penalties saw them complete on 23, just ahead of Eimhear Donaghy and TMS Freedom (23.5), recent winners of the six and seven-year-old Balmoral Star of the Future qualifier at Hazeldene.

On a good day for Cooley Farm, Ciara O’Connor and the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Cooley Rebound (by Emir R), picked up where they left off last season, with a commanding win in the 13-runner EI110 (J), where they completed on their excellent flat work mark (17.8 penalties). Their nearest rivals at day’s end were Carla Williamson and the 17-year-old unraced thoroughbred gelding Goldman (26.7).

Co Armagh’s Kitty Cullen recorded a double in contrasting fashion. She comfortably landed the two-runner EI110 (P) with the Connemara gelding Greenaun Russel (38.3 penalties), Lisa Donnan’s nine-year-old dun by Carracanada River, while, on board Jane Hancock’s 16-year-old grey gelding Coppenagh Spring Sparrow (28), she narrowly saw off the challenge of Susan O’Brien with Ballinagore Aaron (28.8) in the EI100 (P), where there were 21 starters.

Half of the 10 starters in the EI90 (P) completed on sub-30 penalty scores, the quintet being headed by 14-year-old Kelsea Maginnis from nearby Kilkeel, who claimed the honours on the Irish Sport Pony gelding Atlantic Clover Star (24.3), a 12-year-old bay by Moores Clover. Charlie Watson finished second with the Connemara mare Leamore Girl (25.5), an eight-year-old owned by his grandfather, Mervyn Gibson.

Ballindenisk

With so many of the country’s young riders already committed to competing at Tyrella, the entries in two of the three restricted classes at Ballindenisk on Sunday were quite small.

There were just six starters in the EI110 (J) which, with the addition of 3.6 cross-country time penalties, Gearoid Bolger won narrowly on his mother Margaret’s ISH gelding Into Mischief (35.4), an 11-year-old bay son of OBOS Quality 004. Faster over the fixed fences (1.2 penalties), Anna Nangle finished second on the traditionally-bred ISH gelding Stroke Of Genius (36.2).

David Kiely saw off 17 challengers to win the EI100 (J) on his first-phase score with a new ride for this season, his father Roger’s ISH gelding SCS Ballycoskerry Cardento (30.8 penalties), a seven-year-old bay by HSF Cardento Royale.

Second place was filled by another combination competing in affiliated company for the first time, Rosie Coad and Dereck Hamilton’s 16-year-old thoroughbred gelding Barberton, whose total of 33.9 included four show jumping penalties and 0.4 for time across the country. David Nyhan, Eventing Ireland’s Youth Ambassador for 2025, finished third on board the traditionally-bred ISH gelding Cydonia Frankly Cruising (34.8), who had a fence down show jumping.

There were only seven starters in the EI100 (P) and, of these, just one completed on their dressage score. That was Niamh Verkade, who claimed the honours on Mary Horgan’s Connemara gelding Westside Mirah Jack (29.3 penalties), a 15-year-old Carnabay Mirah bay. Lilymai Walsh placed second with the ISH gelding Chapel Hill Dark Spark, whose total of 32.3 included four show jumping penalties.