LUKE Drea rode two horses last Sunday at Ballindenisk, narrowly winning the EI110 with Claire Dubowski’s Novocana and finishing second in the EI100 on Quality By Quantum, a six-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding Dubowski owns in partnership with Leroy Chambers. Both horses completed on their dressage scores of 30 penalties.

Novocana, an eight-year-old German-bred daughter of Now Or Never, was previously produced in Britain by Tom Rowland, but joined the Drea team in the summer of 2022. Her best result last season was when fifth of 28 in an EI110 at Clyda in early September. Novocana’s dam Rocana II is by the Acatenango stallion Ituango out of Rose (by Carismo) making her a full-sister to fischerRocana (CCI4*-L and individual silver medallist under Michael Jung at the 2017 European championships in Strzegom).

Sarah Ennis led the 19-runner class after dressage with Dolmen Stellor Design, but had a pole down show jumping for a total of 30.3, while Michael Ryan and The Diplomat, who were lying second early (28.3), dropped to ninth with the addition of four show jumping penalties and 2.4 for time across the country. The two eliminations in this class came at fence seven, the three-part ‘Hop, skip and a jump’, as one combination left the fence out, while another parted company at the second element.

EI100

There were 20 starters in the EI100 where the winner, on her second-placed dressage score (28.5 penalties) was Heather O’Connor on the unnamed ‘Jack’. Listed as a seven-year-old ISH gelding by Puissance, the bay is also listed as being bred by Sean Barron out of the Aldatus Z mare Qeen Allo, which would make him a full-brother to HSH Has It All (CCI4*-S), who O’Connor rode at three European Young Riders’ championships.

EI90

Two riders completed on their flatwork scores in the EI90, Daisy Trayford, who was third on the ISH gelding KNH Iontach (36.8 penalties) and Tom Hayden with the second-placed EI newcomer Stillbrook Lizzie (32.5), a tall, traditionally-bred ISH mare.

Co Laois-based Trayford had a second ride in the 11-strong class, the ISH gelding Industrial Action, who she partnered to victory, in spite of picking up 0.8 of a cross-country time penalty for a total of 28.6. Having his second start, this five-year-old Tyson bay was bred in Co Mayo by John McDonnell out of the Baltic VDL mare CBI Ice Queen.