THE third round of this year’s Berts Properties Starter Series was staged by the Western Region of Eventing Ireland last Sunday at Tubberbride Equestrian where the Kerins family, as at previous venues, were happy to greet everyone but they definitely had the edge with the weather very much on their side.

With so many competing events taking place on the day, there was a drop in numbers in the age classes, but the Balmoral Irish Draught qualifiers and the increased entry in the Open class made up for that loss. Apart from the thoroughbreds, those competing in the Series classes were judged by Italy’s Luca Bortolamei.

We first need to mention two individuals – Grainne Lynskey, who stepped in to help with the scoring, which may not have been how she saw Mother’s Day unfolding, and Fintan McGrath who, after a tough winter, rode his first-ever dressage test en route to qualifying the home-bred traditional Irish Sport Horse gelding Ballyj Max in the four-year-old class.

There were just five entries in that Padraig Howley-sponsored class, which was won by the only previously-qualified starter, Berta, who, like most others, completed on her dressage score (50 points). The ISH mare by Mr Quincy B was bred in Co Westmeath by her owner/rider Neva McNamara out of September Song (by Watermill Swatch) who she evented.

Two other Westmeath combinations won their respective divisions. In front of Philip Scott, Emily Murphy repeated her success in the Treo Eile thoroughbred class with the unraced Lilly Bobtail (58 points), a five-year-old by Harzand.

Success

In the Gerry Daniels Timber Harvesting and Callatra Stables Open, 16 combinations appeared before Bortolamei, whose leaderboard was topped by Mullingar-based Danish rider Evita Thomsen with another thoroughbred, the seven-year-old Califet gelding Black Field (48.5 points) who was unplaced in four runs over hurdles in 2023. Susan McDonald qualified in second here on the Connemara mare Theresa’s Delight (47), a five-year-old daughter of Royal Atlantic Star.

The seven-runner Milchem pony class went to another previously-qualified ISH mare, the six-year-old Road To Happiness chesnut Creganna Gypsy O (52 points), who was ridden for owner/breeder Marjorie Hardiman by her daughter Lara Field. Hannah Gordon finished second with the five-year-old I Love You Melody gelding Blackfort Major Melody (50).

Neva McNamara and Berta won the four-year-old class at the third round of the Berts Properties Starter Series at Tubberbride Equestrian \ Sagittarian Photography

Back to the age classes, Duncan McFadyen claimed the honours in the Derryronane Stud five-year-old section with Bernadette Flaherty’s previously-qualified Clovers Beirin Beag Rua (49.5 points), a Soolmoy Clover Man gelding registered with Leisure Horse Ireland, while Caroline Devine did so when fending off one rival in the Drumhowan Stud six and seven-year-old class on board the 2018 ISH gelding Captain Devine (48). This Clonaslee Captain Cristo bay was another who had already secured his ticket for the Easter Monday final.

Round four of the Berts Properties Starter Series takes place tomorrow at Clare Equestrian.