ALICIA Devlin Byrne and King Flagmount are now two-for-two in their eventing career as, on Bank Holiday Monday, they followed up last year’s debut success by winning at the annual one-day event staged by the Laois Branch of the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association at Stradbally Hall.

The Enniskerry combination took control of the 22-runner Kehoe Feeds of Athy Irish Draught class from the outset as they won the Debbie Tems-judged dressage phase on a penalty score of 23.33. Like many of their rivals, they were clear over the Gordon Bryan-built show jumping track and Martin Collins’s cross-country course.

“With all the snow and bad weather, most of the hunter trials were cancelled so that was just our second cross-country outing this year,” said Devlin Byrne who teaches science and biology at Coláiste Chill Mhantáin in Wicklow Town. “King Flagmount just loves his cross-country and was very excited down at the start.

“He has had a quiet enough start to the year as he just did the Northern Ireland Festival working hunter qualifier at Boswell before heading up to Cavan where he was one of three to jump clear in the Festival 1.10m final, finishing second, and, even with a pole down, was fifth in the metre class.

“He now goes back to Balmoral where he won the Irish Draught performance championship last year.”

Of the six other combinations who completed on their flatwork marks, Hanna Bjoremarke Deegan finished second with Orla McKevitt’s Crannagh Hero gelding Kilkarney Hero (28.33) with Helen Keatley placing third on Claire Kelly’s Crossgales Silver Diamond (29.17), a seven-year-old gelding by Gentle Diamond.

The Stradbally cup for the highest-placed four-year-old was presented to Annemieke Plass whose grey gelding, Franks Raven (by Franks Fancy), added 25 cross-country time penalties to his good dressage score of 31.39.

The 12-year-old King Flagmount, who was champion performance Irish Draught at Dublin in 2016, is by Welcome Flagmount and was bred in Co Sligo by Denis Clynes out of the Ginger Dick mare Spring Days.

He will be accompanied to Balmoral Park next week by the six-year-old Irish Draught gelding Prince Flagmount, two Connemaras and the Connemara cross gelding Samual Glens Lad who was third in Monday’s traditional Irish horse class.

The winner there was Melanie Purcell’s owner-ridden FHS Jack Robin who added 10 cross-country time penalties to the winning dressage score of 30.83 which he was awarded by Ruth Wiseman.

The only combination to complete on their first phase mark was Lisa Cusack’s second-placed gelding Edenderry Cailin (42.78) who is by the thoroughbred stallion City Honours.

FHS Jack Robin, who was hunted with the Scarteens in the season just finished and, on Sunday, was the highest-placed part-bred Draught in the 12-runner class, is a five-year-old by the deceased thoroughbred Robin de la Maison.

He was bred by Ann Lambert out of the Flagmount King mare Eileen Dun, dam previously of the well-known, multi-tasking Irish Draught stallion Killinick Bouncer.

Hanna Björemark Deegan recorded an all-the-way success in the Pegus Horse Feed leisure horse class with her own 14-year-old mare Matildas Moss (33.05) while Ann Marie Finn also completed on her dressage score when second (34.17) with the eight-year-old home-bred bay gelding Finchogue Clover Pride (by Offaly Clover).