THE Ponsonby family welcomed Eventing Ireland to their lovely parkland estate Grove last Sunday for their sole event of 2024.

Plans to have competitors stick to their allotted jumping times had to be jettisoned, when changes were made to the show jumping rings but, on a good day weatherwise, no one really minds if the timetable isn’t strictly adhered to.

Ian Cassells was pleased with his day’s work, which saw him land the Bedmax EI115 on Inquisitor, Bridget McGing’s traditionally home-bred seven-year-old, whose winning total of 33.5 included 2.8 cross-country time penalties. Cassells was placed on two of his other three rides, all of whom had a fence down show jumping.

There were 11 starters in the EI115, where the dressage winners on 29.8 penalties were Alex Houston’s former ride Atlantic Rockstar and Louise Bloomer, who was partnering the now Martin Keon-owned nine-year-old gelding for the second time in EI company. They had been eliminated in the show jumping phase at Ballindenisk, but had no problems with the coloured poles on this occasion. However, 8.8 cross-country time penalties dropped the Co Wicklow combination back to eventual third.

Jumping a double clear and recording the fastest cross-country round (2.4 time penalties for a total of 34.5), Jack O’Haire moved up into second with Penny Guinness’ home-bred Pointilliste mare Jamaica Rose, on whom he won the DAFM EI115 last month at Kilguilkey.

The first three in this EI115 at Grove are taking one another on again this weekend in the CCI3*-S at Kilguilkey, as is the Cassells-ridden Greenogue Gigi who, with four show jumping penalties and 14.4 for time across the country, finished sixth here on 48.9.

Step up

“This was just his second Intermediate,” said Cassells of Inquisitor, who is by much-underused thoroughbred stallion Coroner out of the Coolcorran Cool Diamond mare, Diamond Fleck. “He was third (of 38) in the 2* long at Millstreet and his main target will be the seven-year-old class at Le Lion at the end of the season.

"He has found it easy to step up a level and hopefully will take all else in his stride; he could be a proper one.

“Paul and Allan Brady did a good job with the cross-country course, which asked plenty of questions at 115 level and made great use of the terrain. It was a nice galloping track with plenty of ditches,” concluded Cassells, who will have his logistics team working flat out this weekend, with two rides in the 4*-S, two in the 3*-S and one in the 2*-S.

Cassells led the seven-runner EI115 (Open) after dressage with Kellys Quality (28 penalties), but had a fence down show jumping with his own OBOS Quality gelding, and then took it handy across the country to complete on 54.8. “He finished fifth (of 59) in the 4*-S at Millstreet, so just needed a slow run,” said the south Co Dublin rider of the 11-year-old.

Lying second after the first phase with Karolito O (28.2), Co Down’s Suzanne Hagan moved up into the vacated top spot, despite picking up 4.4 cross-country time penalties for a completion score of 32.6, with Anne Magee and Jane Hancock’s nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Firestone. The Co Galway-based pair of Becky Scott and Godfrey Gibbons finished second and third with Athea Clover Dew (39.9), who had a fence down show jumping but was clear within the time across the country, and Milchem Free Spirit, whose total of 44.9 included 10.8 cross-country time penalties.