YORKSHIRE born Carol Gee lost no time in making her presence felt on British soil. Just hours after disembarking from the boat at Holyhead, the Kilkenny-based rider took the Dodson & Horrell minor veteran championship at Aintree Equestrian Centre’s National amateur and veteran riders championships.

Last drawn of 13 clears and riding Fernhill Splash, Gee produced a flying round to post the winning time. “We were chasing some really fast combinations and we had to go like a streak of lightning,” said Gee, a former member of the Irish senior eventing team and founder of Fernhill Sport Horses in Kilkenny.