Mo Chara’s Brian Dunne, who is a regular winner at the Riding Clubs Festival, finally laid claim to the TRI Equestrian advanced intermediate show jumping title at the Riding Clubs Festival last weekend.
Dunne, who previously won the power and speed and accumulator competitions, had never won the individual class before until last Saturday.
The Enfield resident was one of 22 through to the jump-off of the 46 starters but Dunne was the only rider to cross the beam below the 40-second mark on his nine-year-old ISH, Quarrycrest River Dancer. His time of 38.24 gave the Mo Chara member a healthy winning margin over his nearest rival, Julie Benson on Naoise B, who stopped the clock on 41.47 to claim second place.
Dunne was in the ribbons again in the Table A Speed class where he finished second behind Rebekah Tansey on Brighten Up Your Day for Benbulben. The Sligo club also filled the top two places in the power and speed class with the husband and wife team of Kean O’Hara (Seamus of Annaghmore) and Louise O’Hara (Charisma of Annaghmore) taking first and second respectively ahead of Dunne in third place.
Boyneside member Sarah Richardson won the highly competitive intermediate individual class out of a field of almost 90 riders. 32 riders made it through to the jump-off where 21 produced a double clear round.
Richardson, however, managed to pull away from the crowd as her 17-year-old ISH chestnut mare, Red Square 8 stopped the clock on 40.22 well ahead of second placed Claudia Culloty (Tinytown Toyboy) on 42.13 for Killarney.
Avril Burke repeated last year’s result in the power and speed class after the Benbulben rider claimed the spoils on Rookery Apache. Burke held a slim margin of just a quarter of a second over second placed Leonard Reamsbottom (Lightening Spirit) from Oakleaf.
Last year’s runner-up, Kieran Cahill was the fastest of six riders through to the jump-off in the open and advanced open individual class. The Thomastown and District riders time of 38.76 on Dinan Sinead kept him well out in front of Emer Hegarty (The Dawn Busker) from Cill Dara on 45.45.
Cahill also picked up the winner’s rosette in the Table A Speed class where he also held a commanding lead. The Maganey resident missed out on a hat-trickk of wins when he didn’t feature in the power and speed class which was won by Corrib’s Paul Tarpey on Brave Casanova.
The advanced primary competition, once again, drew large entries with 65 riders taking on the challenge. 19 riders jumped a double clear round but the spoils went to Tipperary resident Michael Ryan (Sandstorm) for Clonlara in a time of 56.70, 0.30 off the target. The Castle Hill duo of Grainne Cronin (Newgrange Danddy) and Orla Clarke (John James) claimed the pairs.
14 riders made it through to the second round of the primary division where two riders produced a double clear round leaving the clock to decide. Second last to jump Bethan Skelton finished closest to the optimum time of 65 seconds when Tuff Diamond crossed the beam in a time of 62.31 to win the spoils. Skelton also notched up a win the pairs competition with Cathy Sayers (Crackerjack The Lad).
Elsewhere, Margaret Walsh claimed the spoils in the veteran’s class on Dollar Boy where the Thomastown and District rider finished nearest the optimum time ahead of Killcarricks Regina Quinn (Rosie Rebel) in second.
