IN the mind of the very fit 70-year-old Denis Currie, all was right in the world last Saturday.

He got his early dressage time as requested at the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series, he won on his Irish Sport Horse gelding Arodstown Aramis and then, following a quick turnaround and a drive down to Dublin, he saw Ireland get their Six Nations’ campaign off to the best possible start, when beating England at the Aviva Stadium.

Like other home fans, Currie wasn’t too happy that those late tries by the visitors saw Ireland’s margin of victory reduced to 27-22 at full-time. However, he could have no complaints about the 74% score he and his 20-year-old Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan bay were awarded by David Lee at The Meadows, where they comfortably beat Gillian Beale-King and Tullibards Evita (68) into second in the 18-runner Novice class.

Just six combinations appeared before Lee in the Intermediate, where his winner was Laura Birley riding Bob Cotton Bandit (67.3%), with Erin McCrea finishing second on her new ride for the season, the highly-experienced Eisfee (66.4). Birley and Bob Cotton Bandit, a 17-year-old grey gelding with no recorded pedigree, represented Britain in five international events last year, rounding off their season in the CCI5*-L at Pau.

Laura Birley riding Bob Cotton Bandit, winners of the Intermediate dressage at the Meadows flexi eventing on February 1st \ Tori O'Connor Photography

Pre-Novice

It was a long day for officials and volunteers on Saturday, with Corey Mawhinney putting in a particularly lengthy stint, when judging the 48-runner Pre-Novice class, where five combinations scored over 70%.

The marginally highest score (72.8%) was recorded by Jenny Smith’s ISH gelding You Neek, who won the five-year-old young event horse class at the Dublin Horse Show last August under the owner’s husband Steven Smith, while the couple’s daughter Hollie was on board the bay on Saturday. A son of Diamond Roller, You Neek was bred in Co Louth by John Kearney, out of the Camiro de Haar Z mare Veronicas Camario.

Lucca Stubington placed second with Martin and Pauline Wilson’s ISH mare Roundthorn Minerva (72.5), an eight-year-old by Eldorado van de Zeshoek. Having started off show jumping with Edward Little (under whom she gained the majority of her 46 SJI points), Roundthorn Minerva was switched to Stubington’s yard late in 2023 and had three runs in well-filled EI100 classes last season, placing in all.

The other three 70+ scores were recorded by Katie Robinson on the ISH mare Ophelia Cruise (71.8), an eight-year-old bay by Landenco; by Elaine O’Connor on the home-bred Tullymurry Masha (71.5), a nine-year-old ISH mare by Camiro de Haar Z; and by Maya Constable riding the Irish Sports Pony Rockon Pedro (70.8), a 14-year-old grey gelding by Newtown Pedro.

Intro

While the Pre-Novice class wasn’t divided despite the huge entry, the Intro class was split three ways, with the latest of the Region’s graduate judges, Sonya Bloomfield, taking charge of the 23-runner Section A, where she had two combinations topping her final leaderboard on 70.8%.

The dead-heaters were Banbridge’s Catherine Cowan riding the 17-year-old ISH mare Lady Remarque, one of just two animals on the Irish Horse Register by the unraced US-bred thoroughbred stallion I Was Framed (a piebald son of Racey Remarque), and 12-year-old Dromore schoolgirl Charlie Watson. The latter was on board her grandfather Mervyn Gibson’s Connemara mare Leamore Girl, an eight-year-old dun by Classiebawn Hughs Promise.

Christine Findlay and Parklodge Over and Under, winners of the Intro B Dressage at the Meadows flexi eventing on February 1st \ Tori O'Connor Photography

Two combinations also broke the 70% barrier in the other Intro classes. In Section B, where 23 starters also appeared before Vanda Stewart, the highly consistent pairing of Christine Findlay and her 10-year-old British-bred Diarado gelding Parklodge Over And Under (77) claimed the spoils, ahead of Zara Loftus and her ISH gelding HSH Global High Hopes (70.5), a traditionally-bred 11-year-old bay by Prince Of Thieves.

There were 27 starters in Section C, where David Lee’s final leaderboard was topped by the very consistent Zara Reid and her father Gary’s 15-year-old British-bred mare Greylands Diamond Girl (77), while Scarvagh House’s stable jockey Connor McClory finished second with Vina Buller’s unraced thoroughbred Bestman Bryan (73).

Heading into today’s fifth leg of the series, Reid and Greylands Diamond Girl, a daughter of Greylands Amosis out of a Coevers Diamond Boy mare, top the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series on 42 points. Catherine Cowan currently lies second with Lady Remarque (41), ahead of Nikki Cullen and her 13-year-old Rineen Clover mare Gemstone Ruby (34).

Thanks to their double clears at EI80 level in both the show jumping and cross-country phases on Saturday, McClory and Bestman Bryan claimed the top prize in the Treo Eile qualifier for the second week running. The other prize winners were Heather Champion on Royale Getaway, an unraced seven-year-old Getaway mare, and Erin McClernon with the non-winning French-bred gelding Jumper d’Ainay, a Night Wish six-year-old, who was previously owned and trained by former international event rider, Stuart Crawford.