ANNA Radford and Essenar Double Dutch announced their arrival on the Eventing Ireland scene this year with their debut win in an EI80 class at Rosanna in early June and cemented their place by landing the EI100 (P) national championship at Kilguilkey House last weekend.

Well-known previously for their exploits representing the Killinick Branch of the Irish Pony Club, Radford and her mother Maria’s 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare recorded a start to finish success in the 29-runner class, completing on their winning dressage score of 24.9 penalties.

Their closest rivals throughout were Beth Coveney on Forans Daylight and Lillymai Walsh with Chapel Hill Dark Spark who, too, finished on their flat work marks to place second (28.4) and third (29.1) respectively. One combination was eliminated in the show jumping phase while there was one elimination and one retirement across the country.

Essenar Double Dutch has 23 Showjumping Ireland points to her credit, five of them earned under Maria in 2018 while the rest were accumulated under Anna this season.

A 148cms chesnut daughter of Luidam, Essenar Double Dutch was bred in Co Offaly by Messrs Wright and Norris. She is out of the Ard VDL Douglas mare Touch Of Dutch who is dam also of the Imperial Hights gelding Touch Too Much (CCI4*l) and the Luidam gelding Essenar Crixus (CSI5*).

Essenar Double Dutch was one of only two mares who won a championship at the weekend. Three Connemaras hit the top spot (although one is not recorded as such), one thoroughbred claimed a title as did one AES-registered gelding. There were two Traditional Irish Horses among the eight winning Irish Sport Horse geldings while two winners have no registered breed type.