SUZANNE Ennis’s CBI Joker was another horse who qualified at Scarteen for the five-year-old young event horse class at Dublin but, disappointingly for his owner, she will not be in the saddle having been replaced by her sister Nicola.

“I took ‘Alfie’ up to Tullylish and things were going brilliantly until the coffin fence where I hit the ground hard. I knew immediately I had broken my wrist as my hand was a funny shape. I was looked after really well by the paramedic on duty who gave me something for the pain and stabilised my wrist so I could get home.

“Thanks to Nicola and Orla Cassidy and her groom, we were able to switch around the horses so Nicola could get me back to Howth but the pain was so severe that I had to go straight to James Connolly Hospital for an X-ray. I was allowed home with what was thought to be a minor fracture at 3am.

“At 6am, I got a phone call to tell me to return to the hospital immediately as I done a right job on my wrist which entailed a three-hour operation. I am now in cast for about eight weeks so there was no chance of qualifying for Dublin which was why I offered the ride to Nicola who has only one other horse to compete.

“Nicola is going to take Alfie to the Flavours of Fingal and then, hopefully, he will complete Rincoola and have all the boxes ticked for Dublin. “I’d really like to thank all those at Tullylish who looked after me so well, Orla Cassidy and her groom for their help and, of course, my wonderful sisters.”