HAVING had to sit out the previous weekend, the Smith Brothers Eventing yard returned with a vengeance at The Clare on Saturday, senior rider Steven Smith leading the charge when recording a treble.

This came up in one of the day’s featured classes, the Belline Equestrian Mondial du Lion Pathway EI100 for five-year-olds, where he led from start to finish on Ann Bowe’s newcomer Le Barantula (26). Smith also finished third, on his dressage score, with another debutant, CJO Lux Tangoed (29.3) while sandwiched between the pair was the Jonny Steele-ridden Punch Lion (28) who was having his third start.