THE first leg of the Stepping Stones to Success league at Wexford Equestrian took place on Wednesday when horses owned by Richard Ames won both the four and five-year-old classes sponsored by Childeric Saddles.

Disappointingly for Ames, he wasn’t present to witness these successes but that also meant he wasn’t present to endure a morning of heavy rain with the bad weather only letting-up in the afternoon for the pony section. Some competitors were delayed on the way down when, following a crash, a lorry overturned and completely blocked the road outside Oylegate.

Mark Ruddock judged the dressage phase indoors with guest judge Gillian Kyle joining the series assessor Ian Fearon for the jumping phases in the Derby arena. Kyle had been down at Wexford Equestrian just days earlier to judge the Balmoral performance horse qualifiers and it was little surprise that her five-year-old winner that day, Ames’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Kief Rhapsody, followed up here under local rider Noel Dunne.

The brown son of Sligo Candy Boy, who was bred in Co Cork by Kieran Fahey out of the Lux Z mare Lissangle Lux The Business, completed on a total of 213.9 points with Fraser Duffy placing second on Carol Gee’s Chacoa gelding KEC Fernhill Lebron (200.8). A regular in these competitions, Ciara Power finished third on Paul Donovan’s Merrywell Dignified Lady (199.2).

“Kief Rhapsody joined my yard at the end of last summer,” said Taghmon-based Dunne who described the weather conditions as “horrific” to ride in. “I couldn’t ask for more from the horse after last week and now this and, while I have to talk to Richard, I’d say we will finish out this league, go to Balmoral for their final and then see where we go from there. I’d hope to have two four-year-olds out next week if I can get a bit of work into them in the meantime as they’re a bit green.”

Top two

Based at Ames’s Belline Equestrian in Piltown, Caitie Slater put herself in line for the league’s Under 25 rider award when claiming the top two spots in the four-year-old class. On Saturday, she had finished third in the EPS EI90 at Tyrella on the five-year-old Belline Imperial Diamond.

Slater’s Wednesday winner was Ames’s ISH mare Belline Special Lady (195.4 points), a bay daughter of Pointilliste who was bred in Co Kilkenny by Roberta Dowley out of the OBOS Quality 004 mare Queen Victoria OBS. In second was Belline Newton Douglas (192.3), one of the few progeny registered on CapallOir by Belline Second Chance.

Third place here was filled by Crossabeg veterinary surgeon and Stepping Stones regular Ciara Kinsella with her home-bred Tyson gelding, Tykillen Tango (191.6).

Thoroughbreds

The horse action concluded with the Treo Eile thoroughbred event class which was run on a handicap system between open horses, who have an affiliated record, and novice horses for those without. This class is open to horses of all ages and the jumping phase is judged on clear rounds/faults.

It was another local rider who came to the fore here in Lilymai Berry who recorded one of three clear rounds in the 11-runner class on her much-admired Skylanna Scatman (31.2 penalties).

Co Westmeath’s Charlie Walshe led after dressage but then picked up 10 jumping penalties with her once-raced five-year-old Vadamos gelding Gervada who has won three legs of the Western Region’s starter stakes for thoroughbreds. She ultimately shared second place on 36.2 with Co Meath-based Jo Andrews and the unraced Lucere, a six-year-old gelding by Leading Light.

Experience

A nine-year-old bay gelding by Tajraasi (sire of the CCI5*-L performer Alfies Clover), Skylanna Scatman finished second twice in 11 runs in point-to-points.

He doesn’t have an affiliated record with Eventing Ireland but, with his rider a member of the Killinick Branch, he has plenty of experience in Irish Pony Club events and was winner of the Treo Eile-sponsored prize for the highest-placed thoroughbred at the IPC/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championships in Tattersalls last year.

The pony producers’ class, sponsored by Hoofprints Innovations, is open to suitable adult riders and one who certainly fits the bill, and did so successfully on Wednesday, is Orla Cassidy. The Co Meath maths teacher recorded a comfortable victory on board Anne Magee’s Connemara gelding Macs Silver Cookee (194.9 marks). A son of Silver Shadow, the winner was bred by Michael McNamara out of his Glencarrig Finn mare Lady Cookee.

Local rider Rebekah Rochowiak finished second with her Connemara mare Wilma Misty (188.8), a six-year-old dun daughter of Shannonside Kilmore Jacob, with Lillymai Walsh slotting into third with the traditionally-bred ISH gelding Chapel Hill Chino (182.7), a five-year-old grey by Krafty Clover.