ON a busy weekend for their Tomhaggard venue, Orla Roche and Pat Peare hosted a leg of the DAFM eventing autumn development series last Saturday at Wexford Equestrian, where it was run as an arena eventing competition with three phases.

While the owners do a good job through social media of promoting all clinics and competitions they run, they may have to do a bit more to rival British equestrian vlogger Megan Elphick who, on a short visit to Ireland, competed in the four-year-old DAFM class, finishing fifth.

Elphick completed on her dressage score (35.25 penalties) with Ardeo Sport Horses’ unnamed Irish Sport Horse gelding by DS Are You With Me, on whom Melanie Wrynn had finished second at Milchem. On Saturday, Wrynn may have given the mount on the grey away to her guest, but she claimed the honours with Emma Jackson’s Cushlas Jowesie (32.5), on whom she led throughout.

An ISH gelding by Carrick Quidam de Revel, the winner was bred in Co Monaghan by J.P. Finlay out of the Master Imp mare La Peregrina. Earlier in the year, Cushlas Jowesie was campaigned in the Young Eventhorse Series by Jackson, who also rode him under Show Jumping Ireland rules.

Young local rider Lily Walsh finished second with her mother Jenny’s Toby (33), an unnamed thoroughbred gelding by Gustav Klimt, who she campaigned in the pony classes at the Stepping Stones to Success league here in the spring, winning the Tiggy Trust trophy for the leading rider under 18. As he is just a four-year-old, the bay couldn’t compete in the pony class here, hence his appearance against the horses.

As a member of the Killinick Branch of the Irish Pony Club, 13-year-old Walsh also competed Toby in the Connolly’s Red Mills/IPC eventing qualifier at Sleedagh, where they won one of the Junior classes. Despite his thoroughbred blood, Toby is considered too slow for pony racing so Lilly, who has around 20 career wins to her credit, uses other ponies in that sphere. She regularly rides out the point-to-point horses trained by her father Benny.

Better known on the showing circuit these days, Wicklow’s Matthew Dickenson finished third with Mya O’Toole’s traditionally-bred ISH gelding The Robin who, too, completed on his first phase score (34.5). This bay gelding by Jack The Robin, who has competed in working hunter competitions, was bred in Co Wexford by Garry Stephenson out of Ballinamonapark Lady (by Temple Clover).

Although completing on the same score as Elphick (35.25), Charlie Boardman slotted into fourth, with the better collective mark on board Richard Ames’s ISH gelding Belline Kasparov. This bay son of Quality Time, who has two EI90 runs under his belt, was bred by Ian Norris out of the Kroongraaf mare Chesnuthill Lady Milbrook, who comes from the family of Cooley Master Class, the dual Lexington (CCI5*-L) winner.

Cooley win

While 16-year-old Ciara O’Connor was competing in Kronenberg on Cooley Farm’s Cooley Rebound, Amanda Goldsbury, senior rider at the Sheane family’s Co Wicklow operation, rode two horses in the five-year-old DAFM class here, winning on Touch Of Cooley (21 penalties) and placing third with Castlefield Cooley (25.5).

The Zangersheide mare Touch Of Cooley, who led throughout, was bred in The Netherlands by Lars Bazelmans. She is a grey daughter of Untouchable 27, while her dam is the Zapatero VDL mare Kimmi, who jumped to 1.45m level. Bred in Co Wicklow by the Wafer brothers, the ISH gelding Castlefield Cooley is by Jan Van Holland out of the top showing mare Miss Conci (by Ghareeb).

“I bought the mare in October last year,” revealed Richard Sheane. “She jumped in Dublin, doing quite well, but we always thought she was more of an event type and that’s the road we’re going with her now, although she’ll first go on a break. I bought the other horse about a year ago. Although he competed in the performance championship at Balmoral in May and did some registered jumping, he is a big weak horse, who spent much of the summer out and we only brought him back in about six weeks ago.”

Denying the Cooley yard a one-two was Belline Equestrian-based Caitie Slater, who claimed the runner-up spot on Richard Ames’s ISH gelding Deise Starboy (22.5), a bay by KEC Maximum Joe out of Fairfield Clare (by King Of Shannon). Corentin Gautier finished fourth with Paul Donovan’s ISH gelding Sportsfield Super Star (27.25), a Vivant van de Heffink bay, on whom he placed sixth in the five-year-old young event horse class at Dublin.

Stellor Sarah

Fifth and sixth there with DS Are You Calypso (28.25) and Ordonnay (28.5), on whom she finished fourth and first respectively at Milchem, Sarah Ennis won the six and seven-year-old DAFM class on her own ISH gelding Dolmen Stellor Design (31.25 penalties).

Second at the western venue, this 2017 Quantino bay was bred in Co Wexford by Jack Murphy of Dolmen Sport Horses out of the Dolmen Deja Vu mare Dolmen Dimension. He has 98 SJI points to his credit and, on his last two eventing starts this year, finished second of 31 in the CCI2*-S at Lisgarvan and, in a similar-sized field, eighth in the CCI2*-L at Ballindenisk.

Locally-based Georgina Pettit finished second with her mother Marguerite’s home-bred BCL Belletastic (32), on whom she rounded off her eventing season in September at Frankfort Stud, where they also filled the runner-up slot in the 30-runner EI100 (J). Traditionally-bred, the six-year-old BCL Belletastic is by Killinick Bouncer out of Ballycushlane Crest (by Cut The Mustard).

The Paul Donovan yard again had to settle for a minor placing, when Sara Lundkvist slotted into third with the six-year-old ISH mare Sportsfield More Fusion (32.25) who, despite a large number of cross-country time penalties, concluded her 2024 eventing campaign with a second-place finish in the 19-runner EI110 at Frankfort Stud in September.

The jumping phase had more of an effect in this class than the others, with the dressage winners on 30.25, Lucy Rose McCarthy and the seven-year-old ISH gelding Coolcorron Magic Man, dropping right down the leaderboard when lowering two fences. Ciaran Moran’s total of 36.5 with the Irish Draught stallion Ashfield Bouncer included four show jumping penalties.