HEAVY rain in the morning gave way to a day of sunshine on Wednesday, when Pat Peare and Orla Roche staged the second leg of the 2024 Stepping Stones to Success league at Wexford Equestrian.

“There was a great atmosphere all day, but particularly for the thoroughbred class,” said Roche. “We were really delighted with the entry both number-wise and by the big name horses that were entered.

“My parents, Billy and Patricia, watched it all. Dad used to have horses with Willie Mullins and is still very friendly with him, so he took lots of photographs and a video of Al Boum Photo, who competed with Louise Duffy.

“Having the dressage arena outside works well and I think Faith Ponsonby enjoyed her day as judge. Next Wednesday, things will get more serious, as we will be going back to our usual format with a performance judge in place and league points on offer.”

It’s nice to see a new name among the winning riders and one such was Enniskerry-based Ellen Tracey who, on her dressage score, narrowly landed the Childeric Saddles four-year-old class with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Enniskerry Step Up (62 marks), on whom she was third seven days earlier.

The Balou du Rouet chesnut is owned by Tracey’s partner David Bourke, who bred the winner out of the Loughehoe Guy mare Enniskerry Quickstep.

Last August, Enniskerry Step Up finished fifth in the three-year-old potential event horse class at the Dublin Horse Show. The plan for the gelding this season is to finish the Stepping Stones league and then try to qualify again for Dublin through the Young Eventhorse Series.

“I thought the track was lovely, really inviting for a young horse,” said Tracey. “Our horse has come on a lot over the past two weeks. He’s the only one we have for the young horse classes, but I do have a Connemara who may get out next week.”

Locally-based Patrick Whelan finished second, on his dressage score (61.5), with Shirley Berry’s Traditional ISH mare Diva Dolly, a bay by Move To Strike, while Charlie Boardman slotted into third, on his first phase mark (60), with Richard Ames’s ISH gelding Belline Kasparov, a bay son of Quality Time.

Five-year-old class winner Robbie Kearns and Belline Castle Ziggy at the second leg of the 2024 Stepping Stones League 2024 \ Tadhg Ryan Bit-Media

Five-year-old

Out of luck on week one, normal service resumed for Ames’s Belline Equestrian when Robbie Kearns partnered the Piltown yard’s ISH mare Belline Castle Ziggy to victory in the Childeric Saddles five-year-old class.

The brown daughter of Sligo Candy Boy, who completed on her Ponsonby-awarded dressage mark of 66, was bred by Noel Ruane out of the Chipolini VM Z mare Anna Lena S. Last season, Belline Castle Ziggy competed in the Horse Sport Ireland eventing autumn development series.

A judge recently at the Eventing Ireland Western Region starter series, Fernhill Sport Horses’ Luca Bortolamei since returned to the competitive saddle and here finished second on Carol Gee’s ISH gelding Colano, who too completed on his first phase score (63.5). The Colandro bay is out of a Master Imp mare. Also riding for Gee, Fraser Duffy finished third on his first phase score (58) with the ISH gelding RNH Othello, a grey son of SIEC Livello.