No let-up for O’Connor

Nobody would describe Cian O’Connor as taciturn, but even by his standards his approach when interviewed yesterday was akin to a jump-off.

It was a mile a minute, as he told of Capt Michael Kelly quitting the army to take up arms at O’Connor’s Meath base, the purchase of an exciting new horse, his plans for a first visit to the Global Champions Tour final, followed by a 12-week stint at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

Kelly is joining O’Connor at Karlswood to help him develop a major element of his business: Finding suitable horses for clients and providing them with the expertise to be competitive.