HAVING endured two weather-related cancellations in the spring, it was good to see Will Kearney and his team at Frankfort finally host an affiliated event last Sunday.

The Co Wexford venue attracted a healthy number of entries and, such was the positive feedback, Kearney has now decided to run another edition next weekend. This will fill a gap in the calendar and will be a welcome addition to what would otherwise have been a premature close to the season.

“Riders were asking if it would be possible to stage another one and, with the forecast looking good, we decided to press ahead,” said Kearney.

“We have also done a fair bit of work during the summer, most notably on the show jumping arena, because that was the area that caused us to cancel in the spring.

"We have now put in drainage and have spread 100 tonnes of sand, which will be a big improvement.”

Out on track, there were several changes and, while the venue is limited in terms of space, Kearney always makes a big effort to provide a flowing, galloping track, wherever it is possible to do so. There will be additional tweaks next weekend.

Convincing

Moving on to last week’s action, it was Sian Coleman and the Hyde and Swan family’s thoroughbred gelding Clonakilty Bay, who claimed a convincing victory in the EI110 (O). Returning home as the sole pair to come within the very tight time allowed, they extended their first phase lead to complete on their dressage score of 30.5.

This was a good result for the 10-year-old son of Masterofthehorse (IRE), who last picked up the red ribbon back in 2021. It was Michael McNally who was in the saddle on that occasion and, coincidentally, it was McNally who filled second spot with new ride Ardeo Gamira Gold. Deputising for regular rider, Isabella Gogan, McNally was also double clear, but carrying an additional 8.4 time-penalties, was a distance away from the winner.

While all nine runners cruised around the cross-country without problems, the remaining placings were largely decided by the clock. As the closest to the winner in terms of time, but hampered by show jumping penalties, Cathal Daniels piloted the 13-year-old first-timer Celladonn into third spot, from Godfrey Gibbons aboard Kilroe Legaland.

It was a very similar pattern in the following restricted division, but, in this case, none of the 18 starters were able to achieve the time allowed, and less than half left the show jumping rails intact. As a result, the leaderboard changed constantly, but, when the maths was done, it was the Cooley Farm resident jockey, Amanda Goldsbury, who emerged on top with John Bannon’s Baby Guinness BW.

Despite carrying eight penalties from the show jumping and 10.8 time-penalties in the country, Goldsbury recorded the fastest round of the class, thus narrowly pipping Sara Lundkvist aboard the clean jumping Sportsfield More Fusion. Dressage leaders, Sian Coleman and Mary Hogan’s Connemara-sired Duniro, filled third. Bred by TJ Foley, the winning Baby Guinness BW was sourced by his owner earlier this year and was initially ridden by his daughter Holly. Only a seven-year-old, the gelding is by the KWPN-registered Guinness out of Sesheta Quality (OBOS Quality).

He had enjoyed a successful show jumping career under Max Foley, Daren Hopkins and latterly Holly Duggan and, having jumped in the four-year-olds at the RDS, he has since been campaigning in the age classes.

Holly evented him successfully earlier this season, but Bannon, who was unsuccessfully trying to juggle the eventing with his young horses and a business, decided to send him to Richard Sheane to produce further.

“Amanda is producing him on with the view to selling him,” explained Bannon. “He has plenty of ability.”

Four riders incurred isolated penalties in the country.