THERE were a great number of entries and, given the weather, relatively few withdrawals at Dressage Ireland’s National Championships which were held at their new venue of the Mullingar Equestrian Centre last weekend.

Naturally enough, the lower levels attracted the largest number of competition and 58 combinations contested the two rounds of the Childéric Saddles Preliminary Category 1 championship where the honours went to Co Laois’s Charlotte Clear riding her Irish Sport Horse gelding Ramesses B (172.875).

This 13-year-old bay gelding by Ramiro B was bred in Co Monaghan by Larry Muldoon out of the Dutch Warmblood mare Wannabe G (by Ringo) who visited a variety of stallions during her time. She has eight progeny registered as Irish Sport Horses on CapallOir, all but this winner having a Coolrock prefix.

A lot less contested the Category 2 championship which was won by Co Wexford’s Naoise Ward with her own British Warmblood mare GreenLanes Minara (178.125), a six-year-old chesnut by Johnson out of Amusora (by Florencio I).

Rachel Dowley partnered two geldings in the Category 3 championships but on the six-year-old The Handsome Stranger (171.5) and the year younger GFL Flashdance (171.125), she had to settle for second and third behind the Northern Region’s Karen McKeown and her tall Dutch Warmblood gelding Mister Galaxie Win (172.375), a six-year-old chesnut son of Grand Galaxy Win.

Novice winners

Topping the combined scores in the Leinster Region Novice Category 1 championship was Susan Humphreys on her ISH gelding One Station Diamond (182) who was previously show jumped by the owner and Conor Casey. The 12-year-old Le One bay was bred in Co Sligo by Mary McEvoy out of the Roadstown Diamond VII one mare Lady Station.

Drumindoo Stud sponsored the Novice Category 2 championship where the title went to north Dublin-based John Gavin and his ISH gelding Holywell Contender who won on the impressive score of 191.875. This five-year-old bay by Contendro I started show jumping this season and, in 10 starts, has gone double clear on seven occasions. Gavin’s home-bred is out of the traditionally bred Crosstown Dancer mare Skreenmor Dancer, a half-sister to the Limmerick siblings Flogas Dark Knight/Ridire Dorcha (CCI5*-L), Daenerys (CCI3*-S) and Willows Dark Stranger (CCI2*).

There was another impressive success in the North Munster Region Category 3 championship where David Freeney achieved a combined score of 192.25 on board Stephen Byrne’s CLS Illusion, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Wynton.