THE judging duties in the TRI Equestrian dressage section of last Sunday’s Killossery Riding Club spring show were divided between Yvonne Monahan and June Loughran, who also had to judge the final of the North Eastern Region spring dressage league.

Eleven years after landing one of the top races at the 2013 Punchestown Festival, the Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase, the French-bred gelding Arvika Ligeonniere was in winning form at Killossery Lodge Stud, where he was partnered to victory in the RCE by Copperfield’s Louise Duffy. The 19-year-old Arvico gelding, who won 10 races in total, also finished second in Sunday’s RC80 open performance hunter class to that section’s champion, Morgiana Minstrel.

Fourth in that RCE dressage, Fingal’s Dayna Curtis and Cillnabradden Cuig saw off their sole opponents to win the RCM. The previous weekend, Curtis and her traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding won the 17-runner EI100 (Amateur) class when the Eventing Ireland season belatedly commenced at Tyrella.

Mullaghmore’s Leonie O’Gorman and Lackaghbeg Augustus Star, supreme championship winners in the showing section, won both the RCP3 class and the league at that level, in both instances being most closely followed by Cheval’s Gerry O’Byrne and his nine-year-old Connemara gelding, Doon Finn. Another dual winner was Cheval’s Sarah Cashin on her 17-year-old chesnut mare Barbi Rio (RCP1).

Drynam’s Cathy Sayers narrowly failed to match that feat, winning her league on the ISH mare Alderbrook Maxima, an 11-year-old chesnut by Financial Reward, but having to settle for second in Sunday’s class to Macetown’s Clare Casey and her nine-year-old chesnut gelding, Tandy’s Flash Harry (by Golden Miller III).