HOLLYBROOK Riding Club won the team championship title at the Connolly’s Red Mills-sponsored AIRC National Dressage Championships for the third time last Sunday.

The team of Delphi MacWhite (Hollybrook High In The Sky), Margot Brama Labberte (Kilpatrick Cruise) and Lisa Devine (Myceltic Imposter) finished on a total of 425.538% at Barnadown Showjumping in Co Wexford to reclaim the title they last won in 2014 and prior to that in 2009.

All team members registered high scores in the opening tests with Lisa Devine scoring 75.208% on the 24-year-old bay gelding, Myceltic Imposter, in front of Ethna O’Kelly.

Margot Brama Labberte registered two scores in the seventies on Kilpatrick Cruise with her opening test receiving her highest tally of 72.308% from Mairin Cassidy while Delphi MacWhite scored 70.577 in her opening test on Hollybrook High In The Sky.

Annaharvey Riding Club followed closely behind in second place after Niamh Mahon (Royal Ark), Matilda Falkede (Darrara Shanbeg), Gina Goessling (Ardwholihane Oreo) and Maureen Dillon Bowers (Doris Rebel) ended the two rounds less than 1.5% behind the winners on 422.959%, to claim the runners-up ribbons.

The Carne club in Wexford, who last won the title in 2012, completed the podium in third after Melanie Hammel (Taylor Dandy), Lynn Sheehy (Verbier Flyer (IRE)), Isabelle Rouviere (Jasmine Van Ter Notelaere) and Darren Rossiter (Touch of Class) ended on a tally of 421.439%. Cheval, Twinfort and Dunbyrne completed the line up in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Devine wins individual title

The Hollybrook club also picked up an individual title with Lisa Devine winning the Connolly’s Red Mills RC Preliminary 2 title on a total of 143.478%. The Stepaside resident had just 2% to spare over Dunbyrne’s Lynn Cadogen (Shooting Star) on 141.474%.

Elsewhere, Tabitha Millar Hagerty claimed the Connolly’s Red Mills RC Medium Championship for the third successive year, this time on Tullineaskey Hi Ho with a winning score of 136.324%. The Twinfort rider had been second on this horse last year when she won with Westeria Lane.

Another Twinfort rider enjoyed success in the Connolly’s Red Mills RC Elementary Championship where Owen Smyth claimed the silver salver for the third time on Dark Site on 148.194%, having won it previously in 2018 and 2021

He had almost 5% to spare over second placed Caroline Marwood (Investigator P) for Knocknamana Country on 143.718%.

Close call

In what was one of the closest competitions, Rita Naughton claimed the top two places in the Connolly’s Red Mills RC Novice Championship where just two percent separated the top six riders.

The Tinahely rider gave two solid performances on Action’s Bond Girl W to claim the honours with 140.557% on the scoreboard while Naughton moved up into second place after Diamont Babalou produced the best of the second tests to end on 140.225%

Matilda Falkede notched up the highest percentage of the show over the two tests to win the RC Preliminary 3 title on Darrara Shanbeg. Carne’s Isabelle Rouviere (Jasmine Van Ter Notelaere) was second on 145.093%.

Ruth Abbott won the RC Preliminary 1 Championship at her first attempt. The Greenvalley rider took the spoils on CCS Banksy Moon on 148.136% ahead of Sheena Holt on Wemyss Bay.

Elsewhere in the young horse class, Claire Maher won on the five-year-old grey gelding, Tinnakill Jackpot for Killcarrick. The Treo Eile thoroughbred award went to Cheval’s Anthony Archbold on Boystown Kal El (IRE) after they achieved the highest combined percentage on a thoroughbred.