THE Midlands and Western Region of Dressage Ireland staged a show last Sunday in Ballinasloe, where a torrential downpour in the morning looked set to upset proceedings but, thankfully, it didn’t last long and, once it went through, it was dry for the remainder of the day.

“We had a big unregistered entry in the Preliminary classes, with a lot of riders getting some practice in for the regional Riding Club national dressage championships qualifier at the end of the month,” commented show organiser, Niamh Macken. “For many of these, it was their first Dressage Ireland show, so I hope they enjoyed their day.”

One registered competitor who certainly did was Padraig Flanagan who, on board Vida Tansey’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Qeannaire An Tanaiste, won both Advanced Medium classes, which were judged by Michael Moore (List 2A). In the three-runner DI90, Flanagan and the 11-year-old Quaterback chesnut scored 68.09%, while in the four-strong FEI Junior Preliminary test they scored 67.50.

Flanagan also recorded a narrow victory in the day’s best supported class, the 15-runner Preliminary DI5A judged by Danielle Carey (List 3), where he and Connie Noone both scored 74.11% on two home-bred horses not yet registered this year with Dressage Ireland.

By virtue of his higher collective score (68 to 66.5), Flanagan claimed the honours on the traditionally-bred ISH mare Larchill Katie D, a six-year-old by Dr Erewhon. Making his DI debut, the Noone-partnered Kilcorban Firefly is a nine-year-old liver chesnut gelding by the piebald stallion Colourful Fields out of Morafics Diamond (by the Arab stallion Ibn Morafic).

Novice

On 68.10%, Noone and Kilcorban Firefly also topped the overall leaderboard in the Moore-judged Novice DI21, in which there were eight starters. There were three fewer in the second Novice class, the DI27A, where Carey’s winner was Natasha Mitchell riding the ISH gelding Wolf Pack (67.07).

Making his DI debut on Sunday, the Anthony O’Gorman-bred Wolf Pack, a 12-year-old by Harlequin Du Carel, was successfully campaigned under Eventing Ireland rules last year by Maya Byrne, who also had six starts on the bay this season.

In the seven-runner Preliminary DI15 in the short arena, where List 5 judge Helen Nolan presided, Kate Solon ran out the winner with Oakport Ringo Star (71.07%). The 14-year-old traditionally-bred ISH gelding has yet to be registered this season with DI, having last competed in these ranks at the end of 2021. Between times, Solon and the All My Dreams chesnut have been campaigning under Eventing Ireland rules and, last time out, claimed the EI100 national championship at Kilguilkey House, having finished runner-up 12 months previously.

Elementary

Tracy Murphy won both Elementary classes on her Dutch Warmblood gelding Kennedy. In the five-runner DI52 judged by Moore, Murphy and her Future nine-year-old scored 68.47% while, in the four-strong DI55, judged by Carey, they posted a score of 71.79.

Cadhla Curran, who finished second in that class on Southeast Starlight (65.89), recorded an uncontested double in the FEI Children on Horses tests with Dancing Espri. There was an uncontested win for Elaine Murphy and QT An Tainiste in the Medium DI77 and for Jennifer Rea with Fermoyle Charles in the sole Advanced class.

It was a good show for Sinead and Fintan McGrath’s Ballyjennings Stables, with three of the day’s winners being inmates of their Ballinrobe yard.

The couple’s daughter Rebecca landed the three-runner Medium DI65 on her Carey-awarded score of 65.31% with the home-bred ISH mare Ballj Elsa, a nine-year-old bay daughter of Spirit House; Sinead recorded an uncontested victory in the Moore-assessed Prix St George on the ISH gelding Killard Precesion (66.24), a 14-year-old Mermus R gelding she hopes to campaign abroad in the next few weeks; and Katie Owens got the better of the duel for honours in the Traillazers’ Preliminary class on the six-year-old 138cm mare Dunloe Pepsi (68.60).