A SMART committee rethinks and reboots after every show, so it will be interesting to see whether the Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association (IDHBA) national show will run pre-Dublin in 2027 or returns to its former autumn date.

Compared to last year’s wet, blustery September show day at Punchestown Racecourse, the current heatwave was a bonus; the flip side was 27 degrees heat proved a deterrent for some exhibitors and spectators.