CLAIRE Devlin’s Blackwood Fernando added to his illustrious CV when winning the North Down Marquees Connemara working hunter championship in Arena 1 at Balmoral last Thursday afternoon, just hours after landing the Clifden high performance championship qualifier in the same ring.

Now 26 years of age, the Ferdia gelding was expertly ridden as usual by the owner’s daughter Alicia Devlin Byrne who was delighted with the grey’s clear in his working hunter class (for riders aged 16 and upwards) while putting the 10 penalties he incurred in the qualifier down to exuberance. “He just got over-excited coming down to the last, saw a long stride, took off and lowered a pole.”