THE Dennison family welcomed the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland to Loughanmore last Saturday when, in the welcome sunshine, the Co Antrim estate looked at its best with the house providing the perfect backdrop to the show jumping phase and the start of cross-country.

Ian Cassells and his groom Leanne Foster left Newcastle, Co Dublin, at 3.45am with five horses for the EI115 classes and their early start paid off, when three of the yard’s inmates won, while the other two placed third behind their stable-companions. Some riders travelled from further afield to take on the challenge that is always set at Loughanmore.

Cassells had just the one mount in the nine-runner EI115 Advanced class, where competitors rode an Advanced dressage test, show jumped at 1.20m, but tackled a 1.15m cross-country course. The 30-year-old only needed the one to succeed. While his completion score of 32.1 on the dressage winner, Master Point, included four show jumping penalties and 1.2 for time in that phase, he recorded the only cross-country clear inside the time on the Irish Sport Horse gelding.

Co Armagh’s Declan Cullen finished second and fourth with Ultimate Quality (45.7) and Seavaghan Ash (49.2), the pair being split by Bonmahon Liberation (48.3), whose owner/rider, Sarah Dowley, a radiation therapist in Waterford, who keeps her horses at the family’s yard outside Carrick-On-Suir, recorded one of only two show jumping clears, but that outside the time.

There were seven starters in the EI115 (Open), Cassells winning on the ISH gelding Millridge Athos, whose total of 30.5 included 2.8 cross-country time penalties, and placing third with Shanbo Super Flex, who picked up 4.4 time penalties over the fixed fences to complete on 35.1. Scarva-based Suzanne Hagan slotted into second with Karolita O, who added to her winning dressage score, 25, with four show jumping penalties and 2.8 for time across the country.

In the 12-runner EI115, Cassells led throughout on the traditionally-bred ISH gelding Inquisitor, whose total of 23.6 included two cross-country time penalties, and finished third on AFS Ralph who, on his first start at this level, picked up 10 penalties on the final leg for a completion score of 40.9.

Debut

Had Kilguilkey gone ahead as scheduled, Sian Coleman would have had just a short trip up the road to compete. As it was, the Co Cork-based international made her Loughanmore debut on Saturday - “It was a fabulous event and I’ll be back,” she said - and here placed second on Carrowgar Je T’aime Max, who had a fence down show jumping and picked up 5.2 cross-country time penalties to complete on 35.8.

There were five non-completions over the Adam Stevenson-designed EI115 track with four riders being unseated at the three-part water at nine, while one combination retired following two refusals at the third element of the Trakehner fence at six.

“It was a long old day, but I was delighted with my results, so it was worth the early start,” said Cassells. “That was a final prep for Burghley (September 5th to 8th) for Master Point (an 11-year-old by Pointilliste), who is owned by his breeder, Bridget McGing, her brother Brian and myself. Gerry Leahy’s Millridge Athos (a Grand Gayle eight-year-old), who I’ve been riding since he was four, will do the 4*-S at Lisgarvan next week as a prep for the eight and nine-year-old class at Blenheim (September 18th to 22nd).

“Frances Corkery’s Shanbo Super Flex (a 10-year-old mare by Flex A Bill), who’s another home-bred, won at Hillcrest last Monday. She’ll do the 4*-S at Lisgarvan and then be aimed at the 4*-L at Blenheim. Bridget McGing’s Inquisitor (a home-bred seven-year-old by Coroner) will do the 3*-S at Lisgarvan and we’ll take it from there. I was delighted with AFS Ralph, as it was a strong enough track for his first start at EI115 level, but I think he could be a top-class prospect.

Questions

“It was a really good cross-country track, which rode well although; it was a bit more difficult for those horses with less experience. There were quite a few questions, but horses could read them quite clearly. The organisers had put a lot of work into running the event and the place looked great.”

Having discussed his horses and the track, Cassells paid tribute to his groom. “Besides the very early start, it was a hectic day for Leanne, with all the horses running so closely together – I’d be lost without her!”