COUNTY Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy is certainly making her mark on the Andalucia Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera in Spain. She clocked up a number of wins with various horses over the weekend, the most impressive of which was in Friday’s 1.45m two-phase class, where from a huge start list of 96, McEvoy and the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick, bred by Dorothea Wilson and owned by Robin Bingham, came out on top. The pair finished almost two seconds ahead of Belgian runner-up Gilles Thomas with Toulini Olympic. They were followed by Alexander Butler on Eindhoven GH in fourth and Bertram Allen on Castigo De Amor in fifth.

Week two of competitions at Vejer de la Frontera began last Tuesday, February 13th, with Ireland’s Ivan Dalton on Thiamme Nafi VTS and Nicholas Butler on Crossriver Lackavrea among the joint-winners in the morning’s Five-year-old 1.05m class.

McEvoy had made a good start to the week’s proceedings, when she won the Seven-year-old 1.30m class with BP Tiny Dancer, with Bertram Allen on Grimble in fourth.

In the later Five-year-old 1.05m class, Shane O’Reilly on Billy Super Trouper and Susan Fitzpatrick on Touchable WH were among the joint-winners, while in the Six-year-old 1.15m class, Shane Dwan on Ijump and Sean Monaghan on Drapian Z were both winners and Alex Finney on CMG Winchester placed fifth. O’Reilly continued his form, when winning the afternoon’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class with BWE Vain Hero.

Wednesday started well for McEvoy, when she took the top spot in the morning’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class with BP Tiny Dancer; Daniel McAlinden on Malibu’s Son placed 10th.

Bertram Allen on Dolita placed sixth in a Six-year-old 1.20m class, with Dwan on California 159 finishing ninth. O’Reilly on BWE Vain Hero kept the Irish flag flying when they won the afternoon’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class.

Monaghan on Tiberio Della Caccia placed second in Thursday morning’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class, with Harry Allen on Max in eighth. Meanwhile, Bertram Allen on Gary de Cerisy finished ninth in the Big Tour 1.50m class.

Dermott Lennon on Kinmar Right On Time placed fourth in the afternoon’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class, while Charles O’Reilly Hyland on Penelope 31 was fourth in the Five-year-old 1.10m class.

Another win

McEvoy had a great show, as she also won the Medium Tour 1.40m class with Hybernia. While Irish riders did not feature in the 1.50m class, Britain’s Sameh El Dahan placed second with Joanne Sloan-Allen’s Irish Sport Horse mare, WKD Aimez Moi.

The Small Tour 1.35m class saw four Irish in the top 10, with Katie McEntee on Roundthorn Hercules winning the class; Dwan on Cascalino 7 in third; McAlinden on AHG Whiterock Doctor Cruise in fourth and O’Reilly on BWE Vain of Diamant in eighth. The Small Tour 1.40m class saw Alex Finney on Absolutely Kingmar Z in fifth and Katie McEntee on Kinmar Bespoke in 10th. Joanne Sloan-Allen placed third in the Medium Tour 1.20m class with Liana. In the ponies 1-1.05m class, Mischa Lennon on Giorgio de Balizac were fifth.

Saturday morning’s 1.10m class saw a fifth place for Arielle Allen on WKD Little Star, followed by Victoria Loane in sixth and eighth with Gelvins Touch and Lucardo respectively. The Small Tour 1.45m class saw Ivan Dalton on Plaisire D’Api finish fourth, while in the 1.30m class, Brian Cassidy on Guminka placed fifth.

O’Reilly was on form again in the Small Tour 1.30m class, taking the win on board BWE Valdi Semilly, with Alex O’Connor on Carreras 12 in seventh; Katie McEntee on Roundthorn Hercules won the Small Tour 1.35m class. Mischa Lennon on Giorgio de Balizac were runners-up in the ponies 1-1.05m class.

On Sunday, McEvoy rode Hybernia into second place in the Medium Tour 1.40m class, while Susan Fitzpatrick on Lovely Stassi PS were third in the 1.35m Grand Prix. In the 1.10m class, Victoria Loane on Gelvins Touch placed fourth, with Arielle Allen on WKD Little Star in seventh.

Mischa Lennon rounded off a great show with Giorgio de Balizac winning the day’s ponies 1.05-1.10m class.