THE first of just five EI120 classes in the country, and the sole one outside of Co Cork, was staged last Saturday at Lightsource BP Tyrella (2) where, had we realised in advance what was down the road weatherwise, we would not have complained about the cold and that wee bit of a breeze but merely delighted in the fact that it was dry!

Nine riders and 10 horses contested the Advanced class and it was the double-handed Ian Cassells who made all to win on the Irish Sport Horse gelding Millridge Atlantis. Owned by Gerry and Fiona Leahy, the Dinan Casceletto grey had finished 25th of 34 in the EI115 (Open) at the same venue two weeks earlier while he had placed third behind his stable-companion, Kellys Quality, in the EI120 class here last season.

“This horse is just a nine-year-old so I was really delighted with him,” said Newcastle, Co Dublin-based Cassells of Millridge Atlantis who was bred in Co Kilkenny by Sean O’Loughlin out of the Warrenstown You 2 mare Kereen Sue.

“He had the only sub 30 dressage score in the class (27.3 penalties awarded by David Lee) so, although he picked up time penalties in both jumping phases, it was hard to see anyone beating me. The cross-country course asked enough questions for this time of the year yet there was a nice difference between it and the Intermediate track.”

Cassells was first out on the Adam Stevenson-designed cross-country course with Frances Corkery’s home-bred ISH mare Shanbo Super Flex, who was having her first start at this level, and the traditionally-bred Flex A Bill bay jumped a good clear with the addition of 14 time penalties. In the final show jumping phase, she was clear but two seconds over the time for a total of 52.1.

On Millridge Atlantis, who is next heading for the CCI4*-S at Ballindenisk, Cassells shaved 12 seconds off his first cross-country time for the addition of 9.2 penalties and, while he picked up two time penalties over the coloured poles, his total of 38.5 left him well clear of his rivals.

The closest of these was Co Meath’s Sarah Ennis who was fastest across the country (5.6 time penalties) on Grantstown Jackson (44.6) with Co Down-based Joseph Murphy finishing third on Belline Fighting Spirit (47.9) who was one of six horses to err over Aaron McCusker’s show jumping track. Only one combination picked up jumping penalties on the cross-country course.

For the second time this season, the Bandon-based husband and wife team of Michael and Patricia Ryan competed at Tyrella – on both occasions travelling up on the Friday and stabling their horses overnight. “If we have to come up a third time we will,” said Michael referring to the Northern Region’s third event at the Corbett family’s estate next Saturday, April 22nd. “It’s the one place you are practically guaranteed good ground at this time of the year,” commented Patricia. Both were placed at EI115 level on Saturday.