CASTLEWELLAN’s Kaiti McCann and her father Martin’s 15-year-old skewbald mare Boyher Cookies N Creme finished on their Penny Sangster-awarded winning dressage score (20.3 penalties) in the EI90, where all but two of the 25 cross-country starters, in a 26-runner field, completed.

Fourth with four show jumping penalties here the last day, Holly Wray also finished on her first phase score to place second on the nine-year-old ISH mare R Diva (23.8), while Felicity Ferris had to settle for third once again on her new ride for this season, the 10-year-old ISH gelding Cinericius Regnum (26.3).

The highest-placed younger horse was the Erin Mathieson-ridden ISH mare DG Cool Dawn (29.5), who finished fourth. This was a first EI start for her new connections by the six-year-old Coolkeeran bay, who contested four EI100 classes in 2023 under Adam Haugh, winning twice and finishing fifth of 25 last time out at Tullymurry (2) in July.

EI80

There was a very close result in the 27-runner EI80, where the top two on the final leaderboard completed on their joint-second-placed dressage scores (34.3). On this occasion, the honours went to Helen Sawey-Quinn riding the Connemara gelding Rachra Supreme, a nine-year-old grey by Ballybeg JJ, who didn’t compete under EI rules last year and did so only once in 2022.

Ella Watters, a member of the Tullylagan Branch of The Pony Club, and the seven-year-old ISH gelding Shadows Golden Boy had to settle for second on what was their Eventing Ireland debut. Another young rider, Abbie Cummins, slotted into third on the 11-year-old piebald mare Cassie (36.8). The dressage winners on 30 penalties, Jaemi Cochrane and Tyrella Penelope Pitstop, were eliminated when parting company at the first element of the water (fence seven) on the final leg; four combinations didn’t get that far.