THERE were only four starters in the Horses On The Net EI110 (P) championship at Kilguilkey House last weekend and only two completed, but Maeve Fleming still had to pull out all the stops to record a narrow victory on her father Aidan’s Connemara mare Kiltiernan Kitty.

All four erred in the show jumping ring, where Hugh Kelly and Fairyhouse In a Pickle, who were lying second after dressage, were eliminated. The first phase winners, Suzie Cosgrave and Kilcoltrim Swift, dropped to second with 12 show jumping penalties, but were eliminated on the final leg having omitted a fence.

Clear

Having picked up 16 show jumping penalties, 15-year-old Fleming put matters right when going clear within the time over the fixed fences on Kiltiernan Kitty (51.6) and claimed the spoils when Robyn Dempsey and the Connemara stallion Avalon Inis Sle amassed 10 cross-country time penalties to complete on 51.8.

“Their dressage has come on a lot this year, as Maeve has been having lessons with Charlotte Walshe,” said Fleming senior. “Unfortunately, like with some others, things didn’t go so well at Blair Castle, but she had a great time over in Scotland with the Tiggy’s Trust team and we will probably go to Ballindenisk to round off the season. Maeve has another year in ponies.”