DAVID O’Connor, who will be busy during the Northern Region’s mid-term break preparing for the Tullymurry events in July, has his string fit and well judging by his win, on his dressage score (32.3 penalties), in the 15-runner EI110 at Hazeldene 2 on Saturday with Barry and Helen Fletcher’s Twice The Spice.

Co Wexford veterinary surgeon Ciara Kinsella was just a second over the time on her home-bred 2019 Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet mare Tykillen Shindig (35.4) who she had partnered to finish fifth in the six and seven-year-old Star of the Future performance championship at Balmoral the previous morning. They had been eliminated at Hazeldene 1 for omitting a fence.