OKAY, he’s 13 years of age and it has been 16 months since his only other outing in an event, but rider Clare Abbott thinks very highly of Helen Bond’s thoroughbred gelding who won Sunday’s EI 100 class, having led from dressage.

By Snurge, damsire of Abbott’s open novice mount Glenkeernan River, Ballycarron Lad won two point-to-points and a chase when trained by former international event rider Stuart Crawford.