EQUESTRIAN:TWO RIDERS dominate the scoreboards at the Tattersalls international horse trials in Co Meath following the dressage phase which concluded yesterday afternoon.
Britain’s Ruth Edge, who led The Irish Field CCI*** on Thursday with Rogersdale, appeared mid-morning to relegate Ireland’s Camilla Speirs and Portersize Just A Jiff (41.4) to second place in the George Mernagh memorial CIC***.
Riding the 18-year-old English thoroughbred Two Thyme, Edge topped the marks of all three members of the ground jury for a score of 34.
Australia’s Chris Burton remains at the top of both the Eventing Ireland CCI** and Land Rover CCI* with Underdiscussion (37 penalties) and the Irish-bred Graf Liberty (37.5) respectively.
In the two-star class, New Zealand’s Tim Price riding Wesko (40.7) has replaced British pair Oliver Townend (ODT Ghareeb) and Lucy Wiegersma (Wish Upon A Star) in second place (45) while best of the Irish at this stage is local rider Sarah Ennis with Alice Kehoe’s Ramiro B gelding Westwinds Hercules (48.7).
Townend currently lies second in the one-star class with the Irish-bred gelding Cooley Master Class (44.4), another seven-year-old by Ramiro B However, poised to take advantage of any errors by those ahead of them are locally-based Ciaran Glynn with Killossery Jupiter Rising (46.5) and Co Kildare’s Rory O’Hare with DBS Corland Gold (46.9).
On a penalty score of 43.2, Britain’s Isabel Djivanovic tops the table in the Connolly’s Red Mills two-star class for riders under 25 with Billy Buzz.
The next five positions are filled by Irish competitors, headed by David Hannigan on Red Baron (47.4) with Felicity Ward and The Illusionist (47.6) narrowly in arrears.
Third in the pony class last year, Jodie O’Keeffe leads the Tattersalls Autumn Festival of Eventing CCIJ* with Kachemire le Beau (41.9) with her strongest challenge coming from Britain’s Camilla Hope on O The Bill (44.2).
In the national two-star pony class, Co Cork’s Gavin Smiddy and Mr Hale Bob are in the lead on 37.9 penalties, less than a point ahead of last year’s winners, Co Tipperary’s Ana O’Brien and Ice Cool Bailey (38.6).
The ponies get the cross-country action under way this morning at 8.30 followed by the juniors, senior one-star, the CCI***, the under 25s’ two-star and the senior two-star. While tomorrow is mostly devoted to show jumping, the cross-country phase of the CIC*** is scheduled for 2pm.
On the international show jumping scene, the Irish team of Shane Sweetnam (Amaretto Darco), Jessica Kurten (Voss), Cian OConnor (Blue Loyd) and Billy Twomey (Tinka’s Serenade) finished sixth of eight in yesterday’s FEI Nations Cup in St Gallen, Switzerland. Ireland had a two-round total of 28 while The Netherlands won with just seven faults.
Team Ireland Equestrians show jumping manager Robert Splaine said after the competition: “It was an extremely difficult course today with many horses faring badly, but though Ireland has now more in the way of numbers we still do not have enough proven combinations at this level.”
