TWO of the six winners at last weekend’s Connolly’s Red Mills/Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ national show jumping championships at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre represented the Benbulben Club in Co Sligo.

With three withdrawals and a similar number of no-shows, Fiona Tansey faced just seven rivals in the RC110 and RC120 Championship, which she won on her Irish Sport Horse mare Talbots Lass, with whom she competes as an ‘A’ amateur under Show Jumping Ireland rules.

Tansey recorded the only double clear inside the time on her 13-year-old Cameron Velvet bay, who was bred in Co Kilkenny by Pat Hutchinson out of the Grange Bouncer mare, Mrs Bounce. Frustratingly for Greenhills’ Mia Browne, she failed to force Tansey into a jump-off, when she and her traditionally-bred ISH mare Empress Nala, with whom she too competes regularly in affiliated SJI company, picked up a single time fault in the first round of the Championship.

90cm Young Horse

Clear rounds were hard to come by in the nine-runner 90cm young horse class and none were recorded in round two, into which five combinations carried a zero score. On leaving the arena a second time with two fences lowered, Benbulben secretary Rachel Burke thought her chance of victory had gone.

Such was not the case, however, as her eight faults was the lowest score in the second round, so Burke ran out the winner with the Connemara gelding Ballyard Golden Eddie, who was having just his second start. A four-year-old by Capparoe Lad, the dun is out of the Mirah’s Oyster Bandit mare, Lookout Dream Time.