The Irish pony show jumping team manager and high performance coach Tom Slattery was competing at Cavan EC last Sunday and so missed seeing his John Neilan-trained Stilo Blue Native win the confined maiden at the Galway Blazers’ point-to-point in Rathmorrissey.

Which might have been no bad thing as the multiple Irish Field champion rider Derek O’Connor had to sit tight at the last before the Blueprint gelding went on to score by eight lengths. “I saw the photographs and I don’t know how Derek stayed on the horse,” said the delighted owner. “He’s a top-class jockey.”