THE best weekend of the year” - that’s how the Kentucky Horse Trials, North America’s first five-star event at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park, are known to thousands of eventing fans. For Irish-born veterinary surgeon Brendan Furlong, the famous event has special significance.

“I personally can’t ever think of Kentucky without thinking about Happy Talk winning. It was long format, it was the top end of the game and that was the last time Bruce [Davidson] won Kentucky. He won it six times and Happy Talk was his last winner,” said Furlong.