THE first of five qualifiers in this year’s Horse Sport Ireland autumn development series was staged last Sunday at the North Munster Region venue of the Tipperary Equestrian Centre, Thurles.

Derval Diamond judged two of the three age classes and awarded a massive 84.83% to the Sean Burgess-ridden DHI Kikkis in the six-strong six-year-old qualifier (Elementary BD43). This saw the Dutch Warmblood mare, a daughter of Netto, finish over 10 points clear of her nearest rival, the Emily Kate Robinson-partnered Kekepania (74.66). However, as these horses do not hold Irish studbook passports, they were competing hors concours in this class.