THE RDS is a true test of talent and once again, riders put on a great display.
In the 128cms ponies division, reigning champion Tom Wachman had the crowds on their feet as he took the title in a nail-biting finishing.
Going first with Murphy Spartacus, he set off strong, but four faults saw his hopes of a win slip away. Not deterred by his earlier four faults, Wachman returned with Parc Epic and, cheered on by the crowd, a daring gallop to the last saw him retake the title.
In the 138cms division, Alex Finney and Dolly Du Carel put in a great performance to claim the title. In the 148cms championship, there was great excitement as the last to go, Cian Goggins and Sligo Little James, delivered the winning round and demoted his fellow Mayo rider Ciaran Nallon into second.
It was an emotional win for all those involved as Goggins had only returned to the saddle following an injury.
Winner of the 148cms six/seven-year-old championship for the second year was Seamus Hughes Kennedy riding Keatingstown Hunky Dory.
This combination went on to demonstrate their talent when claiming the Allianz 148cms six/seven-year-old Starfinder final at Portmore in September and a win in the 148cms 1.20m jump-off class at Cavan Pony Championships.
COOLMORE STUD
PONY PREMIER
The Coolmore Stud Pony Premier also saw some great displays of showjumping at the final rounds in Portmore. In the 128cms Under 10s, Limerick rider Kian Dore and Drumcaghey Jacko took the final win. This was an important victory for Dore as it was enough to see him claim the overall title. Dore is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure having clocked up a series of wins. In the SJI National Championships, he was runner-up and third in the 1m Championships. He then went on to take the National 1.10m Championships with Kilcreene Basil and third in the SJI championship with Drumcaghey Jacko.
In the 138cms section, Francis Derwin and Ruby Brown took sixth place, enough to claim the overall title. Derwin had proved consistent in this league when claiming two wins, third and seventh.
In the 148cms, Abbie Sweetnam put in a spectacular performance to take the final leg. Riding Dynamite Spartacus, she was one of only two triple clears and lodged the winning time of 36.95. A prolific winner in this year’s series, Ciaran Nallon had to contend with sixth place on this occasion when he incurred eight faults with Lislan Picola in 37.22. Nallon didn’t go home disappointed however as he was crowned 148cms champion. Nallon had a commanding lead going into the final on a total of 34 points. The Mayo rider claimed three out of five wins in the series.
BALMORAL
INTERNATIONAL SHOW
At Balmoral International show, a real crowd-pleasing class was the Millar McCall under 10s Grand Prix. Mullingar’s Alana Fagan and Little Bob took the honours after a tough competition. In total, 24 starters went to post and of those, 15 returned for the jump-off. Fagan cut every corner with Tomas Ryan’s 19-year-old gelding Little Bob to snatch the lead from local rider Eva Sloan.
CWD SPRING TOUR
On the national front, jumping got off to an early start with the CWD Spring Tour. As in previous years, the titles and the final rounds at Raheen Na Gun went down to the wire. In the 128cms division, it was Fermanagh rider Matthew Conlon and the Silver Legend who led the victory lap and in the process added the necessary points to his tally to win the overall title.
Winner of the 138cms league was Francis Derwin (Ruby Brown). The 148cms was one of the most competitive as those on the top of the leaderboard could all have taken the title at the final. Victory belonged to Abbie Sweetnam when she lodged the winning round with Perseus Spartacus but Kate Derwin dominated the remainder of the class when filling three slots. The young Athlone rider delivered her best result with Springhill Annora when she claimed the runner-up place. She slotted into third place with Spring Rebellious and fourth place with Master Stevie. Despite Derwin’s performance, it was John Murray and The Irish Builder who took the title.
NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The SJI National Champions saw riders take their title following four days of competition at Coilog. Those claiming their titles were Senan Reape (128cm U10 crown), Katie McEntee (128cms title), Francis Derwin (138cms crown) and Kate Derwin (148cms).
MILLSTREET
In 2017, we witnessed some of the younger riders move up the ranks and one of those was Katie Nallon. In Millstreet Pony Owners Show, the Mayo rider claimed victory in the 128cms Holland Homes Durrow Novelty class. Riding Claughaun Casper, she delivered a foot-perfect round in 35.66. In November, she claimed the 128-85cms Grand Prix at Cavan Pony Show aboard Piggy Bank. Nallon also took seventh with Jim Cobid and eight with Miss Temple.
GLENCARRIG LEAGUE
Glencarrig League has always been a firm favourite with younger riders. In 2017, the league winners emerged as Isobel Sheehan and Emily Moloney. In the under nine division, victory belonged to Sheehan and Ardfry Chiswick, while Moloney and Magneto Cobra took the under 11 final.
Sheehan added to her tally when she went on to take under 8/10 National Discovery League Finals at the National Pony Championships. Moloney also added to her winning record when she took the win in the 128 Under 10 Springboard final at Portmore.
YOUNG RIDERS
Kilkenny’s Anna Caraway is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure and, in 2017, she really impressed with a show-stopping performance at Cagnes Sur Mer in the under 25 division. Riding Ajaccio, she took the win in the first 1.40m under 25s when clear in 80.35 and then repeated this performance in the under 25s 1.40m, clear in 72.50.
The Kilkenny rider recorded the hat-trick when she took the honours in the final 1.40m under 25s. Riding Ajaccio, she was the only rider in the five-way jump-off to deliver a double clear.
JLT DUBLIN
STAKES DUBLIN
Jenny Rankin has an impressive record and one performance that stood out was her fifth place in the JLT Stakes in Dublin with Benny’s Legacy. Rankin also won the RDS Bursary after been put through her paces by Canadian showjumper Torchy Millar.