WELL aware of how fortunate they were to even stage last week’s international fixture at Ballindenisk, connections at the Co Cork venue must have been imagining how wonderful it would have been to have owners and spectators present.

The amphitheatre of the new show jumping and dressage arena looked at its very best during the four days of unbroken sunshine, while Peter Fell’s revamped and well-presented cross-country tracks predictably delivered some top-class sport. Indeed, the NutriScience supported four-star track was, according to Fell, “probably one of, if not, the strongest track we have ever built here,” and the addition of almost the entire Olympic-listed squad was the icing on the cake.