LATE coming to the party this year, Evie Kennedy is set to defend her RDS working hunter pony championship title on Little Dromin Phoenix having won the final 143cm qualifier at Barnadown on Wednesday.

While the numbers in all but the 133cm class remained high, they were down on the previous two qualifiers at The Meadows and Killossery Lodge Stud. As one would expect at this stage, there were very few eliminations over the Charles Hanley-designed track where the jumping performance was judged by Gill Glynn before ponies moved on to the flat phase judged by Simon Beirne.