Catherine McCartan on Socorro clear 90cm Fraser Homes series (Photo Credit: Sporting Images NI)
We were delighted to host the opening leg of the Fraser Homes Ulster Tour in our Bluegrass Outdoor Arena, rounding off a busy and action-packed Spring Championship weekend at Portmore. With strong entries across all heights and valuable early league points on offer, Sunday’s competition brought a fitting conclusion to three excellent days of sport.
90cm – A Flying Start
The 90cm class saw an impressive 21 horse and rider combinations secure their all-important three league points, getting their campaigns off to the best possible start.
In the Sportsmembers section, valuable placed points (6 down to 1) were awarded to Lauren Louise Gordon, Dionne McLaughlin, Ellie Ward, Caroline Crossin, Catherine McCartan and Sharon Lappin, each laying down an early marker in the league standings.
April McCrea on Bob winner 1m Fraser Homes series Photo Credit Sporting Images NI
1m – Tight Margins in the Amateur League
Competition intensified in the 1m class, where April McCrea, Emma McGowan, Grace McGarry, Paddy Ward, Caitlin Foster and Lily Beatty all collected valuable placed points.
Among the Amateur competitors, the top three were separated by less than a second — a testament to the competitiveness of the class. Emma McGowan, Grace McGarry and Paddy Ward claimed the leading Amateur placings, with fractions of time proving decisive.
1.10m – Youth and Experience Combine
John Jordan on SJ True Grit winner 1-10m Fraser Homes Series. Photo credit Sporting Images NI
66 competitors took on the 110 course, that saw John Jordan set the standard early on aboard Sean Jordan’s six-year-old SJ True Grit, producing a confident and polished round to take the win. Jodie Creighton and Sarah Mawhinney with Bail Me Out Boy secured second, while Victoria Moffett guided her own Calgot Cruise into third place.
Also adding points to their league tally were Lucy Sullivan, Frances Kealey and Danni Jennings.
In the AA Amateur division, points were earned by Frances Kealey, Taylor McKnight, Emma Canmore, Jason Patterson, Helen Pearson Murray and Ian Moore, ensuring a competitive start to that section of the league.
Shane Treanor and Garry Marron’s 5 year old Kinmar Rustanza were the highest placed five year old starting the 5 year old campaign off on maximum points.
Spectator Appeal – A Tactical Turn
A key feature in both the 1.10m and 1.20m tracks proved to be a turn to the penultimate line. While technically less favourable, it offered a significantly faster route — and provided spectators with front-row action as riders made bold decisions in pursuit of vital seconds for points on the Fraser Homes Ulster Series leader boards.
1-20m Fraser Homes Presentation winner Grace Carlisle on Something Smart with Craig Kileff from Bluegrass Horse Feeds. Photo: Sporting Images NI
1.20m – Strong Start for Last Year’s Winners
A late entry from John Jordan put him first to go in the 1.20m class. Opting for the tighter turn inside the double to tackle the last line on Sean Jordan’s 6 year old SJI True Grit, he set another competitive early benchmark this time of 33.49 seconds. However, last year’s 1.20m league winners Grace Carlisle and Something Smart demonstrated their intent to defend their title, taking three seconds off the clock to claim the win and 6 points on the day. Jordan finished in second, while Ben Maybin steered Alison Henry’s Caugherty Ronan into third.
Fourth place went to Frances Kealey with Danny Boy Li, while Danni Jennings continued a remarkable run aboard Super Star, securing fifth place and recording her fifth clear round from five classes across the three days of the Championship Show. Victoria Moffett completed the top six with Lets Not Talk.
1.30m Ulster GP League – A Thriller to Close
The feature class of the day, the 1.30m Fraser Homes Ulster GP class, provided a thrilling conclusion to the opening leg. Spectator numbers grew to watch a field of 32 competitors take on the challenge.
Olivia Roulston on Drumrankin Ebony winner 1-30m GP Fraser Homes Ulster region series. Photos Sporting Images NI
Victory went to Olivia Roulston aboard Vincent Burton’s Drumrankin Ebony. In a dramatic finish, Rebecca McGoldrick and her own CMG Winchester were just five hundredths of a second behind to claim second place.
Roulston returned to the podium once again, this time taking third with Lammy Carelley, jointly owned with Norman Watt.
Fourth place went to Alex Finney on MHS Style, fifth to Shane O’Reilly with Billy Hopper, and sixth to April McCrea riding Princess Premier.
We were proud to host such a competitive and well-supported opening leg of the Fraser Homes Ulster Tour. With valuable points now on the board and the league set to continue at venues across Ulster throughout the summer, the standard of sport on display at Portmore promises an exciting season ahead.
Thank you to Bluegrass our title sponsors for the show who provided nutritional guidance throughout the three days for those with questions on feeding recommendations.
Thanks also to John Gibson from Sporting Images NI who attended all Friday and Sunday classes capturing all the action for competitors to purchase in print or digital form to remember their outing! His photograph galleries can be found on this link. John has also kindly supplied the photographs featured with this article.
