NIKKI Cullen, runner-up in 2022 and a winner 12 months later, finished fourth and sixth in this year’s Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing league at The Meadows, being crowned leading Riding Club member, when amassing 52 points on Gemstone Ruby.

Cullen, who works full-time with horses and is a member of Gilford Riding Club, competed at all six rounds of the league on Gemstone Ruby and that 2012 Rineen Clover mare’s only foal, the six-year-old gelding Lexi’s Ludo Breezer (by Hoeks Ludo W), who picked up 45 points.

“Gemstone Ruby was well-placed in two runs I gave her in Northern Region events in 2023 but, since then, I’ve had major leg surgery and, with a plate in my leg, I don’t know if I will event again,” revealed Cullen, who purchased the John Dullea-bred grey in Co Cork as a three-year-old.

“I’ve registered both Ruby and her son with Show Jumping Ireland and will more than likely go down that route with the pair. Ruby is a fantastic mare, who just keeps giving and giving. She was originally bought for my sister Danielle, who is now more interested in breeding. The Flexi Eventing league is a great way to start the year and there’s always really good craic between the riders.”

Cullen was assisted at The Meadows by her daughter Sophia Montgomery, who will be six in March, and dressage judge Corey Mawhinney, who had given the rider a lesson a week earlier and warmed her up on the flat on Saturday.

Dressage

In the league standings, the Cullen pair were split by Pony Club rider Robyn Rice, a member of the Iveagh Branch, and My Isabella (47 points). On Saturday, Rice and her mother Julie’s 15-year-old grey mare finished third in the 29-runner Intro B dressage, where Coreen Abernethy awarded the pair a score of 70.5 %.

The winners on 72.8 were self-employed dog groomer Sophie Clugston and Spot The Difference, while Kaiti McCann finished a close up second with her father Martin’s 16-year-old skewbald mare, Boyher Cookies N Creme (72.5).

Spot The Difference is a 12-year-old Lislap Benedict half-bother to Question Mark (a 2018 skewbald gelding) and Something Similar (a 2017 piebald mare), who Sophie events. He was bred by the rider and her father Gary, the former point-to-point rider and an avid follower of hounds, who named the gelding.

“With his colouring, he was named when he hit the ground and it was also the name of one of my favourite racehorses (the 1993 Lafontaine gelding Spot Thedifference), who was ridden by my good friend, the late J.T. McNamara,” revealed Clugston senior.

“He’s a rare individual and does a bit of everything. Last week, he hunted on the Wednesday, went to the Flexi Eventing on the Saturday and, the following day, was at the working hunter show at Gransha, where he finished second in the 1m class. Question Mark was second in his small hunter/cob class, while Something Similar won her 90cm class and the championship.”