Breen second in British Grand Prix, Sweetnam Wins German Pony GP
Breen second in British Grand Prix, Sweetnam wins German Pony Grand Prix
TIPPERARY native Trevor Breen came agonisingly close to winning the British four-star Grand Prix at Bolesworth in Cheshire on Sunday, the last fence in the jump-off denying him possible victory.
Only four combinations made it to the third round from a starting field of 50, with Breen the only Irish representative on Martin and Paschal Coffey’s Irish Sport Horse Oldtown KC.
With two British riders, John Whitaker and Keith Shore, each faulting twice, Breen was second-last to jump, and was clear all the way to his mistake at the final obstacle, which cost him four faults. Though still in the lead, the Irish rider watched as 22 year-old English rider Yazmin Pinchen and the chestnut gelding Van de Vivaldi left all the poles up to claim the 24,500 euro winner’s prize. Breen’s compensation for the runner-up spot was 15,000 euro.
Ireland’s Anthony Condon, though not making it to the jump-off at Bolesworth, claimed eighth place with the bay stallion Aristio.
In Rotterdam, Ireland’s Denis Lynch with Thomas Straumann’s All Star 5 recorded one of 12 double clear rounds in the Netherlands Grand Prix, but his time left him in 12th place overall, with victory going to the USA’s Lucy Davis and Barron.
At Hagen in Germany, meanwhile, Cork’s 14 year-old Abbie Sweetnam was the popular winner of the international Pony Grand Prix.
Sweetnam, a niece of US-based Irish international show jumper Shane Sweetnam, registered the only double clear round of the hotly-contested class with the gelding Spartacus Reape. Ireland also claimed fourth place when Michael Pender and the Irish Sport Horse Imagine If One came home with just four faults on the board in the jump-off.
Kayleigh Soden also took an eighth place for Ireland in the Grand Prix with four faults in the first round on Castle Hill King.
In the Young Rider Grand Prix at Hagen, Jonathan Gordon was best of the Irish, taking eighth place with Emma Brown 2, with victory going to Germany’s Maurice Tebbel and Chaccos’ Son.
Category: News, Results, Show Jumping
