GREENHILLS, who last won at the RDS in 2017, will be bidding to extend their record to seven in the Horseware team show jumping championship at the Dublin Horse Show in August, following their success in the TRI Equestrian wildcard qualifier at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre last Saturday.

Two teams, Greenhills (who qualified for the Association of Irish Riding Club’s Festival out of the West Leinster Region) and Ashbrook (North East Region), completed the regulation two rounds of jumping on a zero score, requiring their team captains to jump-off against one another.

Things hadn’t gone to plan at all for Ashbrook’s Jenny Doran in a jump-off at the NER qualifier last month, but she and her home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Horseplay Clover Star, a 12-year-old son of Captain Clover, kept their partnership intact on this occasion, going clear in 49.85 seconds.

Club chairperson and treasurer, Grainne Alexander, who delivered for Greenhills at the RDS in 2017 on Knockenpower Ginger, also went clear on Saturday and clinched victory in the much quicker time of 44.71 seconds. She partnered her ISH mare Cheeky Blonde, a 14-year-old chesnut by Cougar.

Her sister-in-law Olwyn, who was also a member of that 2017 Greenhills team, will be heading to Dublin this time with her 14-year-old Dutch Warmbood mare Faline, a Quality Time bay, who she competes as an AA amateur.

Also on the 2024 team is Grainne’s daughter Serena, who rides the 22-year-old 148cm chesnut mare Bonnie, and Eimear D’Arcy with her 16-year-old ISH mare Sharragh Watermill (by Watermill Swatch). The last-named may seem something of an interloper, but Eimear was Serena’s nanny back in the day!

Narrowly beaten twice in their bid to make it to Dublin, the frustrated Ashbrook team comprised Doran, Jayne Kidd (Good News Scotty), Anne O’Dowd (Until Proven Guilty) and John Gavin (Holywell Contender). Carne, who won the qualifier here in 2018, finished third on four faults with Tynagh next on 12.