Watched on by nervous breeder Maria Melvin, the six-year-old Crosstown Dancer gelding added 0.8 of a cross-country time penalty to his dressage score of 33.5 having left all the coloured poles intact on what had previously been his bogey phase.

“We’re very pleased with our horse,” said owner John Melvin, “Clare has done a great job with him. We had planned on trying to win the Irish Sport Horse six-year-old series with him but he came home to us after Lisgarvan at the end of April when Clare was getting ready for Badminton. After this weekend, when he goes to Kilguilkey, other runs will depend on where Clare is heading with Euro Prince; hopefully that will be the World Equestrian Games.