THE best-supported of the three Horse Sport Ireland Studbook series classes staged at Clonmahon House last Saturday was the EI110 for six-year-olds where 14 of the 15 entries started.

Of these, one combination was eliminated in the show jumping ring, one withdrew before the cross-country phase and two were eliminated over the fixed fences where another three had problems in jumping. The three leaders after dressage fell into one or other of those categories.

At the opposite end of the final leaderboard, three combinations completed on their flat work marks to fill the top three places – Steven Smith with Terry Johnston’s Strangford (31.3 penalties) and Caroline Overend and Carla Leitch’s home-bred Kannan gelding CJO Kann Surprise (31.8) and fellow Northern Region member Joseph Murphy on his own Bernhard gelding Dstud Flirtation (32.5).

This was a fourth outing of the season, and the third at Novice level, for Strangord who was bred in Co Antrim by Dorothea Wilson out of her Cruisings Micky Finn mare, Templepatrick Dara Bay. In their young event horse class at last year’s Dublin Horse Show, the Luidam gelding finished second to CJO Kann Surprise.

Three Northern Region riders also occupied the top spots in the EI100 for five-year-olds although Co Down-born Caitie Slater was the sole rider eliminated across the country with the dressage winner on 27 penalties, Belline Ames To Please.

Getting the big ‘E’ on his only previous start, the Adam Haugh-owned and ridden Chrome took the honours on her dressage score (28). By the Holstein stallion Coolkeeran, this bay mare was bred in Co Laois by Thomas Hutchinson out of Mo Chroi Mor (by Womanizer). Also on her flat work mark, Elaine O’Connor finished second on her husband David O’Connor’s more experienced home-bred Chillout mare, Tullymurry Grace (28.3), while, with a fence down show jumping, Lucy McIlroy dropped to third with her mother Angela’s Imperial Wonder (31.5) with whom she is qualified for the Junior/Young Rider event horse class at Dublin.

Just two horses started in the Studbook class for seven-year-olds, Sarah Glynn recording a comfortable win on her own and her mother Laura’s home-bred Jack Of Diamonds mare, Granny Jean’s Unicorn.

Jane O’Flynn completed on her dressage score to win the 38-runner Equillence EI100 class on her own Irish Sport Horse gelding Leonardoe (23.8), a six-year-old Garymore gelding bred by Michael O’Dwyer out of the Colin Diamond mare Knockrenehen Mo. There were ‘only’ 17 starters in the Castlebridge Stud EI90 where Antonia Ward led throughout on Nuala McDonald’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Noa W whose total of 27.8 included 2.8 cross-country time penalties.