CALEDON’s Andy Oliver and his wife Saffron represented the South Tyrone Foxhounds with distinction last Sunday when winning their respective categories at the Ward Union Hunt’s Antler Challenge at Primrose Park in Co Meath.

A late change of mount saw Andy switch from one half-bred, Everest, to another, Donovan, but gave himself the same riding instructions to “keep it simple.”

Allowing the front-runners to battle it out between themselves before they fell by the wayside literally or figuratively, Andy gradually made his way to the head of affairs and, in his own blue and green colours, was clear of his pursuers when jumping the last.

Not only was the Co Tyrone trainer first home in the senior Challenge to claim the overall prize but the South Tyrone joint-Master also won the titles of first heavyweight rider and first veteran rider while Donovan was the first half-bred horse to cross the line.

Former jockey Shane Shortall was the first Ward member home in second ahead of fellow WUH members Jack Sutton and Peter Reynolds.

Disappointingly for the Ballymacads’ Tatianna Ormiston who thought she was the first lady home only to be disqualified, that title then went to a delighted Saffron Oliver who, riding Rio, was just one of many South Tyrone members who took part in the Challenge. Saffron recently attended the Ward Union’s ladies’ hunt at at Primrose Park. Among those who received completion stag pins on Sunday were Mark McIlroy, Jason McKeown, Alex Buller and Ian Moore.

The course for the Challenge was designed by Paul Carberry who led both the Junior and Senior ride fields in their warm-ups.

His daughter Kacey Lou, a member of the Ward Union Hunt Branch of the Irish Pony Club, finished second in the shorter Junior Challenge to the Wicklow Hunt’s Ravindra Daly O’Toole.

While there is no point-to-point in the Northern Region next Saturday, February 18th, the Wards are staging a meeting at The Folly, Oldtown, Co Dublin which is a handy enough spin down for most pointing enthusiasts.