THE recent hot spell came to an abrupt end at Ballina on Sunday evening when thunder and lightning caused the understandable cancellation of some remaining classes. Not before Nadine Carey and Deirdre Murnane’s Sacre Bleu won the Jack Dodd tribute class, sponsored by Mercury Renewables and HiFive Clothing, which also carried a training bursary with Galway show jumper Michael Duffy.

Des McDonnell had a top day winning the broodmare championship with his Draught mare Silver View (Fast Silver), bred by Seamus Sloyan and then the young horse championship with his home-bred Conticco three-year-old, Lucky Jim.