With just a handful of legs remaining the TRI Equestrian NI Summer Tour has been covering all areas of the region.  A look back over previous legs would indicate that a tightly fought contest between Peter Smyth and Jordan Coyle will play out right up to the final on 17th September 2016. 

 

The remaining legs are:

6th August- Mackenzies EC 

13th August- Connelhill EC 

18th-21st August- Meadows Equestrian Centre 

26th-28th August- Cavan EC 

 

17th September- Final.  

 

Nestled on the shore of Lough Neagh, the TRI Equestrian Summer tour kicks off at Portmore EC. Forming the last day of a successful 3-day show, the wheels where set in motion for the 2016 tour.

 

The well-known course design team of Ray Buchanan and Rafael Suarez provided excellent courses once again. As the first leg of the 18 leg tour the Suarez family were the perfect hosts to riders from all over the region and a few welcome visitors from further afield.

 

Continuing their recent successes in the Connelly/ Red Mills Spring Tour Derry rider Jordan Coyle took the honours in the 1.35m Grand Prix on board Jim Maneely’s Bay Gelding ‘Amigo VH Winkinshof Z’, stopping the clock at 36.40 Coyle held the lead with his closest rival Fermanagh’s James Hogg with his fathers ‘Interpreter’ remaining over 1 second behind.

 

Kilkenny native, Tholm Keane proved popular as he piloted Future Storm to victory in the second round of Ulster Region’s TRI Equestrian NI Summer Tour 1.35 Grand Prix at Cavan Equestrian Centre.  Owned by Diarmuid Hurley, Future Storm is a mare by Future Trend out of a Cruising mare, second of Keane’s two horses through to the jump off, the clock was stopped at 30.29 to take the lion’s share of the €1500 prize fund.   

 

As expected there was a large contingent of experienced local riders contesting this round and as a result, of the 43 on the start list, several combinations proceeded to the jump-off with only a win on their mind.

  

No stranger to pressure, Donegal’s Kenneth Graham also kept everything in place with the first of his two mounts,  Coco Fino,  albeit in a slower time for eventual 2nd place, with a time of 33.64 and the title of highest placed Ulster athlete. With his second mount, Democrat taking 4nd place.

 

Both Tori Dunn (Victoria Z) and Catherine Thornton (Clinton Jack) made it through to the jump off. Dunn finishing in seventh place, just ahead of Thornton who took the 8th place rosette. 

 

Peter Smyth was the victor in the 3rd leg of the TRI Equestrian NI Summer Tour at Causeway Coast Showjumpers, Portrush. Riding Madeline Tunney’s Tunmore, Smyth triumphed in a 10 horse race to claim the lion’s share of the £1,000 prize fund.

 

Drawn at the early point of the timed decider, Smyth laid down the gauntlet for the remaining riders when stopping the clock in a fault free time of 36.10 seconds which would prove unbeatable. Tunmore is by Out of Touch out of a Cavalier Royale dam. Spending the last season with fellow Ulster Man Gabriel Tunney, and prior to this the Bay Gelding was campaigned Lynne Clibburn.

 

In the other classes winners included Emma Jackson and Amy B in the TRI 1.20m, Justine O’Hara in the 1.10m and Jennifer Torrens in the TRI 1m Summer Tour. 

 

The 4th leg of the TRI Equestrian Summer Tour Grand Prix 2016 took place at The Meadows Equestrian Centre, Lurgan.  2016 saw this show run once again over three days commencing on Friday 3rd June and finishing with the feature class of the weekend, the TRI Equestrian NI 1.35m Grand Prix carrying a purse of £1000 this was the biggest weekend in the MEC calendar to date attracting growing numbers annually.

 

27 riders took on Ray Buchanan's track on a sun drenched day. 9 competitors had clear rounds to put them through to the jump off.

 

It was Johnathan Smyth who took the top spot with Charlton Clio owned by Johnathan's father Richard, Charlton Clio the 10-year-old bay mare by HHS Br Charlton out of a Clover Hill mare.

 

This was the 1st year of collaboration between the Equine retailer and the Ulster Region, having established a base in the Meadows Equestrian Complex in late 2014, the retailing supremo has come on board as title sponsor of both the horse and ponies spring/summer leagues in the Ulster Region 2016. 

 

Adding a few more points to his tally, Amigo VH Wikenshoff Z and Jordan Coyle reclaimed the top spot at Banbridge Show hosted by Iveagh Showjumpers.  Stopping the clock in less than 34 seconds, Coyle maintained a lead over his rival Kenneth Graham and Lee Johnston’s ‘Democrat’.  

 

Local riders stole the limelight at the Annual Enniskillen Show, winning the 1.35m Peter Smyth based in Victoria Bridge.  Winning with Hilary Duncan’s Diamond Courage, Smyth was the only rider of the 19 starters to complete the John Chambers course without penalty.  Picking up 4 faults in the 2nd round, Simon Scott and Jasmine Time slotted into second place, whilst with two fences on the ground Mark Murphy and ‘McKinley’ settled for 3rd.  

 

Long-time supporter of the Ulster Region, Angela Percy took the top spot at the Mid Antrim Horse Show, Ballymena with Dermott Forde’s ‘Westlands Ruby’.  Never one to be far from the top, Derry man Jordan Coyle had to settle for second place with Christian Coyle’s Halakairi Z.  Local man, Paul Cave took 3rd place with his own ‘Quinten’.  

 

It was a 1-2 for Luke Campbell from Applemount Sport Horses at the 1.35m Summer Tour hosted by Kernan Equestrian Centre, Crossmaglen.  Campbell was the only rider to successfully navigate the first round of Alistair Megahey’s course.  Opting to withdraw ‘Trebra Douglas’ from the jump off, Campbell went on to have a faultless round with Dominic Rice’s Premier Sport.  

 

 

A tussle for the top is emerging in the 1.35m UR Summer Tour, as Jordan Coyle on-board Jim Maneely’s Amigo VH Winkenshoff Z claim the latest win in the series.  Stopping the clock 2.5 secs ahead of Paul Caves and his own ‘Quinten’, Coyle secured the win in 45.38.  Coyle went on to have further success in the class when piloting brother Daniel’s ‘Afellay Z’ to 8th place. 

 

A family affair led to win of the 1.35m at the TRI Summer Tour hosted by Portmore Equestrian Centre.  Where a Victoria Bridge Father-Son duo took the spoils, owned by Richard Smyth, ‘Charlton Clio’ piloted by Jonathan Smyth, the 10-year-old Bay mare by HHS Br Charlton took on the Ray Buchanan course, breaking the beam at 38.78, Smyth was the only rider to successfully complete the course in under 40 seconds.  

 

Co. Down rider, Stephen McManus too the win at the recent leg of the TRI Summer Tour organised by the Ulster Region.  On-board Gilbert Fletcher’s ‘Red Bird Point’ McManus crossed the finish line in 39.33 secs, however hot on his heels just over 0.5 sec slower was Daniel Coyle, who whilst on a brief homeward visit from Canada, claimed 2nd place with his own ‘Afelley Z’.  

 

With the backdrop of the 14th Century ruins, Shanes Castle on the North-Eastern shore of Lough Neagh became a fitting location for the latest leg of the TRI Summer Tour organised by the Ulster Region.  RoundThorn Sports Horses and their rider Suzzane Posnett recorded their first 1.35m win of the series.  Guided by Posnett, ‘Wolina RoundThorn’ by Numero Uno jumped a fantastic double clear to clinch the winning rosette and in the process became the recipient of the ‘Boal Challenge Cup’  for 2016.  

 

Having had a fantastic Dublin Horse Show, Victoria Bridge rider Peter Smyth continued his run of success at Clogher Valley Show where the latest leg of the TRI Summer Tour took place. Smyth took the win in the 1.35m Summer Tour with Fiona Carson's The Windmill Uno. Also continuing their run off good fortune was Jennifer Torrens, who has now won or been highly placed in the majority of TRI 1m classes.  

 

Recording his second win of week in the TRI Summer Tour, Peter Smyth located in Victoria Bridge, near Strabane, took the honours at Co. Londonderry Agricultural Show with Gillian Doherty’s ‘Cooleyhill Bonzo C’.  Drawn in the middle of the class, Smyth came out tops against the Fred Guthrie designed course.  In the previous class, Smyth was also victorious in the TRI 1.20m when he finished fastest with ‘Cruising Lux’