The Eventing Ireland national championships were held over the weekend at Tattersalls in Co Meath where the top-graded Connolly's Red Mills CNC3* class was won by south Co Dublin's Aidan Keogh and his 15-year-old Kings Master gelding Master Tredstep.
This combination started off the season competing in Lexington, Kentucky and the plan is for their campaign to conclude at the end of next month with a return visit to Pau. The American and French events are two of only six four-star competitions held worldwide each year.
Co Down's Joseph Murphy filled three of the top six places in the 15-runner class, placing second with Sportsfield Othello, and he also had to settle for second in the Munster Region CNC1* championship with Grantstown Sensation as the honours went to fellow Northern Region rider Emma Jackson on board Jackie Harris's Applejack.
Jackson had three mounts in the Hoofprints Innovations O/CNC2* championships where she filled the runner-up slot with her own S Creevagh Ferro mare Silken Allure. Here, the winner was Sarah Ennis from nearby Batterstown with Breda Kennedy's Woodcourt Garrison.
Killenaule's Padraig Harrington was crowned the Bit-Media CNCJ1* champion following his win on Tullabeg Vision while the new Eventing Ireland CNCP2* champion is Co Kildare's Zara Nelson with Millridge Buachaill Bui who were members of the Irish bronze medal-winning team at this year's European pony championships in Hungary.
Three TopSpec-sponsored amateur titles were up for decision with Co Louth's Davinia Gray claiming the one-star crown thanks to her fast cross-country round on Balief Clover. Geogina Magnier saw off 38 rivals to win the EI100 section on Princess Of Araglen and fellow Co Wicklow-based Wendy Seymour landed the EI90 division with Carrick Diamond Lilly.
Athy's Megan Telford-Kelly won the Packman Pizza EI100 junior title on her mother Rosalind's Aughabeg Dun Boy while the new lower level pony champions are Ruth Burke from Kilmacthomas with her father Michael's My Late Find (Eventing Ireland EI100) and Jennifer Kuehnle from Portlaoise with Tullibards Sixth Sense AC (Eventing Ireland EI90), a five-year-old owned by the rider's father Hanrs.
The Burke family were also celebrating when the final results came through for the Waterboy EI100 championship as this was won by their Hunters Firefly which was ridden by Lee Maher. Ian McCluggage from Larne landed the Kilguilkey House national championship with Gayle Connery’s Craigvara Cavalier.
In show jumping, Paul O'Shea finished best of the Irish when eighth in Sunday's $1 million Grand Prix at the five-star Saugerties show in New York. The Co Limerick native picked up $25,000 with Skara Glen's Machu Picchu as Germany's Andre Thieme claimed the first prize of $330,000 on Conthendrix.
