Mark McGowan made the best use of the Black River fences in Simmonscourt to return six of the 16 finalists in the jump-off in the RDS national young rider 1.25m championship.

Noelle Barry’s beautiful first clear round on Norway Venture signalled them as one of the favourites as the jump-off got under way. Tim McDonagh and Beaute van Herikhave unfortunately took the wrong course. Emma Murphy and the nine-year-old bay mare Apache Van De Lange Vos were also eliminated after two refusals.

With tight lines, Barry stopped the clock in 38.1 seconds to set the new target in round two.

Darragh Ryan’s Milchem Lux Again ended on nine faults to finish in eventual fourth place.

Spanish visitor Bianca Terrell (Rouet Du Four) rode a steady round to claim second place. Jordan Coyle and Lakeview Magic had at least five seconds in hand to the last but, alas, it fell, leaving Noelle Barry and Norway Venture as this year’s 1.25m young rider champion.

In the 1.35m equivalent, five progressed to the jump-off with just two riders clear. Phillip Amundson Carey and Ton Soleil F clocked the fastest time but on an eight-fault total, as did Jonathan Andrew on The Hurricane and Sven Hadley on Quanbell.

Hadley’s second mount, Cassana, and Queen Carola, the latter ridden by Mayo rider Cormac Hanley, delivered the only two double-clear rounds with Hadley taking the red rosette with only 0.1 seconds separating the two.