THREE Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Studbook Series Finals for young horses were run in conjunction with last weekend’s Eventing Ireland national championships at Kilguilkey House.

There were just five starters in the EI115 for seven-year-olds, where John Tilley led following Saturday morning’s dressage phase and a clear show jumping round on Polly Stephens’ British Hanoverian gelding Wellfields Casino Royale (31.6 penalties). Unfortunately, the combination’s excursion over Sunday’s cross-country course ended early, as Tilley and the Casiro I bay parted company at fence 6a (the first element of the three-part Kilguilkey water complex).

Their departure handed the class to Heidi Hamilton on board Daphne Ladley’s Irish Sport Horse mare Cavaliers Cruiz, who were a second over the time show jumping and picked up 1.2 cross-country time penalties for a total of 34.4. The bay is by the ISH stallion Cruisings Ambassador out of the ISH mare Cavaliers Maid (by Ghareeb).

“I was very happy for the horse and delighted for Daphne, who is very supportive and comes with me in the truck to every event,” said Co Wicklow-based Hamilton. “As she won both the final and league, the mare has earned a nice bit of money for her owner and for her breeder (Co Wexford’s Thomas Norris). Hopefully she has done enough this year and last, when she won the CCI1*-Intro at Lisgarvan, to warrant selection for Le Lion. I think a lot of this mare, who is a proper five-star horse, she has lots of gears, which I have yet to use.”

Lying third on his flatwork mark of 34.6 going into the final leg, Robbie Kearns incurred an additional two penalties for time but, happily, these didn’t affect his second-place finish with Richard Ames’ Swedish Warmblood mare Sorella Blue. This was just a fourth start in this country for the grey daughter of Zirocco Blue VDL, with whom Kearns finished fifth, on their debut as a combination, in the CCI2*-L at the international here in July. The grey was previously campaigned in Britain where, this weekend, Kearns is competing her in the CCIYH3*-S for seven-year-olds at Cornbury.