IPC Red Mill eventing series Hillcrest

THE Scarteen Branch hosted the penultimate qualifier in this season’s Irish Pony Club/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing series on bank holiday Monday at Hillcrest where Wexford’s Rebekah Rochowiak recorded her first Open success of the campaign.

Riding her nine-year-old Ars Vivendi mare Greannstown Vivendi Girl, Rochowiak completed on her winning dressage score of 28.75 penalties as Carbery’s Ellie Fleming Hand finished second on her flatwork mark of 35.75 with Anbally Silver Grey.

The Ward Union’s Emily Brooks had an expensive pole down show jumping en route to placing third with Ardagh Mayday (35.75) in the seven-runner class.

Again leading from start to finish, West Waterford’s Síofra Marsh saw off 28 rivals when winning the Intermediate on MicMacs First (22.5), the now 14-year-old S Creevagh Ferro gelding on whom she recorded some excellent results at EI105 level in 2019.

Here, Tipperary’s Kate Walsh was always playing second fiddle to the winner on the Connemara gelding Beechtree Watchful (23.25), an 11-year-old son of Mirah’s Oyster Bandit.

Shillelagh’s Jane Fitzgerald and Broomfield Banner increased their lead in the Intro Intermediate league when winning Monday’s well-filled section on their dressage score (29.75). Their nearest rivals for league honours, Lily-Mai Berry and the former point-to-pointer Skylanna Scatman, led after the first phase (25.75) but were eliminated in the show jumping ring.

Laois Branch members won two divisions of the Junior class. First up, Maya Byrne Moran recorded an all-the-way success in Section A with the 19-year-old bay gelding, Far Away Tale (27.5), which saw her overtake Newcastle Lyons’s Hazel Gleeson (Redmondi Bobtail) in the league. Holly Gee likewise led from start to finish to win Section B for Laois with the Connemara mare Coolodge Maeve (21.75), a six-year-old bay by The Gambler.

Emma Hickey gave the Wexfords a second win on the day when, despite a pole down show jumping, she won Section C of the Juniors on board the 10-year-old brown gelding Ardeo Batman (27.25).

Disappointingly, 16 of the 25 starters were eliminated in the Junior Novice where Carbery’s Kali O’Donovan recorded the only sub-30 penalty dressage score on which she won with the 17-year-old skewbald mare, Elden Primadonna Girl (29.75).

Having won three of the four Trailblazer classes at the Classic run by the South East Region of Dressage Ireland in Spruce Lodge on Saturday, North Kilkenny’s Mia Perry posted her sixth success in the Under 12s’ league in Section B here with Mulveys Marble. Perry and the 21-year-old skewbald mare were also second three times this season.

The honours in Section A went to Newcastle Lyons’s Finn Breen whose total of 22.8 on the 14-year-old Holyoake Czar gelding Goldengrove Moresecode included two cross-country time penalties.

The final qualifier for this year’s IPC/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championships is being staged today (Saturday) by Area 5 at Kilguilkey House, Mallow with the championships taking place at Tattersalls Ireland over the weekend of August 27th and 28th.