WHAT a difference 12 months can make. Last year, the Newcastle West Show field lay under 5cm surface water. Last Sunday, the mercury hit 23 degrees (73 Fahrenheit) at the West Limerick fixture.

It’s a show that’s undergone a number of changes, firstly, a move from its original Ballynoe location to a more urban footfall-friendly site near the lively market town. Terence Leonard’s farm is still the ideal location for the Dublin potential event horse qualifier and both he and brother Peter were busy stewarding traffic arriving at the show field, no easy task with the volume of Kerry-bound tour buses on the main road.