BELLINE Equestrian’s owner Richard Ames was kept busy last Sunday at Kilguilkey House where, as a board member of Eventing Ireland, he presented the prizes at the organisation’s National Championships.

The first of these was to Belline’s stable jockey, Robbie Kearns, who recorded the only double clear inside the time in the EI120 championship on Ames’ Irish Sport Horse gelding Ballyvillane OBOS (33.5 penalties) who had been lying third after dressage. Kearns, who also placed sixth on his own Very Dignified (50.7), rode five horses over the weekend as did Patrick Whelan who, with 2.8 cross-country time penalties, slotted into second here on the traditionally-bred ISH gelding Denis Finch Hatton (40).

Lexi Kilfeather finished third on the leader after show jumping, Lord Of The Morning, whose total of 43.9 included 11.6 cross-country time penalties. The dressage winners on 30.5, Jennifer Kuehnle and Sammy Davis Junior picked up four penalties on the second phase and then 33.2 for time on the final leg to drop to 12th of the 16 starters, four of whom withdrew before cross-country.n As she is heading to Boekelo, Kuehnle took it handy here.

While very much focussed on this weekend’s Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, where he has three rides, Kearns told Irish Horse World that the 10-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding Ballyvillane OBOS would next compete in the CCI4*-S at Ballindenisk before being targeted at Boekelo.

Of Sunday’s cross-country course and the event in general, the rider commented: “It was a really good track, up to height, and Danny did a great job with the ground which was perfect. It was a very good event – particularly when you consider what short notice they had to organise things. There was a great vibe over the weekend and a particularly good céilí band on Saturday night!”

Ballyvillane OBOS, whose record includes a CCI3*-L win under Daniel Alderson at Ballindenisk in September 2020, was bred in Co Tipperary by Tim Gleeson and is the only produce recorded on IHR out of the traditionally bred Young Convinced mare Gleesons Coolcorran.