THE decision taken by hosts and organisers Pat Peare and Orla Roche to postpone the third leg of their Stepping Stones to Success League by 24 hours, because of the foul weather, paid off on Thursday when the sun shone all day at Wexford Equestrian.

Gillian Kyle likes the sun but, having already judged the jumping phase at Wexford Equestrian on two occasions this spring, she spent Thursday in the indoor arena assessing dressage while John Lyttle enjoyed the outdoor life along with series jump judge Ian Fearon.

Not all entries met their engagements with the bulk of the withdrawals coming among the ranks of the more amateur-orientated thoroughbred and pony producer classes where, during this Easter holidays period, other family outings may have been planned for that day.

Belline Equestrian’s Richard Ames had won the first two legs of the Childeric five-year-old league with his Noel Dunne-ridden and produced Kief Rhapsody. However, with that Sligo Candy Boy gelding having a day off, the owner’s main firepower on Thursday was centred on the four-year-old division.

He could have had little complaint about the performances of his Caitie Slater-ridden pair Belline Special Lady (197.1 marks), a home-bred mare by Pointilliste, and Belline Newton Douglas (195), a gelding by Belline Second Chance. Ames was also represented by the Robbie Kearns-partnered duo of an unnamed gelding by Sligo Candy Boy (188.5) and Belline Jack The Lad (181), a home-bred gelding by the same sire.

However, this quartet, who comfortably saw off most of their rivals, had to settle for the placings immediately behind the winner, the Dunne-owned, ridden and bred Irish Sport Horse gelding NDS Jackson (207.7) who had finished fifth on his public debut the previous week.

“This fellow is by Ann Lambert’s thoroughbred stallion Jack The Robin,” said Taghmon-based Dunne. “I broke him last summer and, having been ridden around for a bit, he was off until we brought him back into work in February. We’ll finish off this league then he’ll have another bit of a break before we bring him back for the Young Eventhorse Series qualifiers and hopefully get to Dublin.

“I did the Stepping Stones with his dam (the 2013 Hold Up Premier mare Killycloghan Mayfair) as a four and five-year-old and I also did a bit of jumping and eventing with her at that age too. I then retired her and she had this fellow and I was going to bring her back to jump when Covid interrupted everything so I decided to retire her a second time!

“I have her two-year-old (NDS Limitless), who’s by Carrera VDL, and she is now overdue two weeks carrying to Conthalou; I’m having to keep a good eye on her all the time!”

“Life is good”

Another home-bred ISH gelding, Emma O’Shea’s Baby Im A Star (203.1 marks), won the Childeric Saddles five-year-old class but this bay son of Ulysses M2S was ridden by Daniel Alderson who couldn’t overstress how happy he is to be back in Ireland.

“I took time off to go travelling and arrived back in February,” said England native Alderson who previously worked here at Belline Equestrian and Global Sport Horses. “I’m renting some stables at Orla Byrne’s Forest Lane yard in Kilmacthomas and am very, very happy as was Emma with her horse who was competing for the very first time. Life is good!”

In common with NDS Jackson, Baby Im A Star will complete the Stepping Stones League and be given a short break before being prepared for the Young Eventhose Series which gets under way at Forth Mountain on Tuesday, June 6th. O’Shea’s winner is out of the Flagmount Diamond mare Saddle Up Kasey on whom she did a small bit of eventing and show jumping herself.

Jack Dalton, who spent time with both Shane Breen and Michael Duffy but has since returned home to New Ross where he is working as an equine dentist while also producing young horses, led this class right until the end when Alderson struck.

Dalton had three rides here for Hans Kuehnle and fared best on the owner’s home-bred pair of Tullibards No Needs Never (201.5), a Tullibards Bennys Legacy gelding with whom he had to settle for second, and the fourth-placed Tullibards Mum Said (195.6), a mare by Tyson. Dalton’s mounts were divided by the Leila Barker-owned and ridden Jorado mare Boleybawn Oliva (200.3).

Owners and riders are reminded that next week is ‘Viewing Day’ at Wexford Equestrian when all cross-country rounds will be recorded and will be available to view on Irish Sport TV. President Biden and his entourage weren’t the only visitors from the US touring this country during the week as we have been informed that there were buyers from the States at Wexford Equestrian on Thursday.

Alice Copithorne, who suffered a heavy fall during the second round of the league, splitting her helmet in the process, was back riding out at home earlier this week and hopes to compete on Wednesday.