THE second half of the 2024 Eventing Ireland season in the Northern Region commenced last Saturday at The Clare, where Becky and Declan Cullen’s professional approach to running an event, and their attention to detail, was evident on arrival.

Last Saturday, the extended Cullen family got behind this second running of an EI-affiliated event, where the generous sponsors were acknowledged on display boards all along the drive and the Vina Buller-designed cross-country tracks were beautifully-presented. There was also a rare sighting of those near legendary individuals at one-day events in this country – spectators!

There were 11 starters in the Cullen Equine Solutions EI110, where the lead after dressage was held by Andrew Greer with his Irish Sport Horse mare Sharp Object (27.8 penalties). Fellow NR member Casey Webb, riding Sean Moher’s ISH mare Nelgara Lucy Locket shared second place on 29.5 with Co Wexford raider Noel Dunne on Jenny Curley’s Kief Rhapsody of Belline.

Greer lost his hold on the top spot when Sharp Object lowered one of the coloured poles, while the other pair, and two others, remained unpenalised. Then the third phase had its effect on the result.

Wearing the HorseFirst No 1 bib, Webb put it up to her rivals with a fast cross-country clear on the eight-year-old Nelgara Lucy Locket, which resulted in the addition of just 2.8 time penalties for a total of 32.3. Greer and Sharp Object were a lot slower (11.2 penalties) for a total of 43. This, however, turned out to be good enough for second, as Dunne retired Kief Rhapsody of Belline, following two stops at the first element of the Healy Law trakehner double at seven.

“It was a great win for Lucy,” commented Webb of the winning Diamond Discovery mare, who is out of Ringford Rara Ruby (by Porsch). “She’s becoming established at this level and will now do a 2*S. She was second (in the CCI1*Intro) at the international in Ballindenisk last September, so hopefully we can go one better! I’m delighted for her owner Sean Moher, as he also bred her, and it’s a long road from a foal to this stage.

“Declan and Becky did a great job to run a very professional event,” continued Webb. “The decoration of the fences and sponsors boards gave the young horses lots to look at and will help educate them for the future. It was especially nice for me to jump the ‘Casey Webb Maths Tutoring’ fence, a business I run alongside competing my horses.”

In case anyone is counting, there are two people involved with the tutoring business, Webb running this with amateur event rider and primary schoolteacher, Aoibheann Morgan.

Toni Quail and Wellan Summertime winning the EI110(Open) class at The Clare \ Anne Hughes

Despite finishing two seconds over the time across the country, Downpatrick-born amateur jockey Toni Quail landed the three-runner Tullyraine Equine Clinic EI110 open on her ISH mare Wellan Summertime (35.1), who was having just her second start of the year.

Surprisingly winless on Saturday, Steven Smith finished second with Virginia Maguire’s thoroughbred gelding Handsome Starr, a September Storm 12-year-old, whose total of 39.3 included eight show jumping penalties.