The Irish pony show jumping team manager and high performance coach Tom Slattery was competing at Cavan EC last Sunday and so missed seeing his John Neilan-trained Stilo Blue Native win the confined maiden at the Galway Blazers’ point-to-point in Rathmorrissey.

Which might have been no bad thing as the multiple Irish Field champion rider Derek O’Connor had to sit tight at the last before the Blueprint gelding went on to score by eight lengths. “I saw the photographs and I don’t know how Derek stayed on the horse,” said the delighted owner. “He’s a top-class jockey.”

Tom’s wife Elaine bred Sunday’s winner at the couple’s Stilo Horse Farm in Tynagh out of the unraced Be My Native mare Reconciliation. The attractive grey is the only thoroughbred the Slatterys bred out of the mare, who was difficult to get in foal, but she did produce for them a 2009 filly by their Grade A Irish Draught stallion Heigh Ho Silver.

As for Tom’s performance at Cavan? “I haven’t been doing much competing myself in recent seasons but I’m riding some nice horses this year for Lady Georgina Forbes and they have been jumping well in 1.20m classes. I rode a couple in the Grand Prix on Sunday and let’s just say I was a little ring-rusty as we left a good few poles on the floor.”