Tipperary’s Shane Breen joined America’s Jessica Springsteen to win the latest leg of the Global Champions League at the Longines Global Champions Tour fixture staged at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday.
The pair who are members of the Miami Celtics side that also includes Galway’s Michael Duffy, Britain’s Harry Charles and William Whitaker and Belgium’s Christoph Vanderhasselt were lying second after Friday’s first round. And when they collected just a single time fault each in Saturday’s second round they topped the podium and moved the Miami Celtics up to second on the league table.
Offaly’s Darragh Kenny posted a win with Christos at the French fixture on Friday, bringing his winnings in this lucrative 19-leg series to €177,000 so far this season. However he had to settle for ninth place with Classic Dream in Saturday’s Longines Grand Prix in which Breen collected €9,000 for seventh spot with Ipswich van de Wolfsakker while German winner, Christian Ahlmann, pocketed a hefty €99,000.
At Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Canada Co Down’s Dermott Lennon and The Irish Sport Horse MJM Pursuit recorded their third win in as many weeks, when taking the top prize in the Kubota Cup 1m50. And Derry’s Jordan Coyle steered Picador to victory in the Friends of the Meadows Cup in which Conor Swail and GK Coco Chanel lined up third.
At home, Galway’s Tim McDonagh claimed victory in Saturday’s fifth leg of the TRM/Horse Sport Ireland New Heights series at Omagh Show. Riding Jackie Lee’s Hollypark Galloway he pinned Waterford’s Tholm Keane and BMH Big Time into runner-up by a half-second margin in the five-horse jump-off, while Kevin Gallagher and Ballypatrick Flamenco slotted into third with the only other double-clear of the competition.
Kenneth Graham (George) won Friday’s Underwriting Exchange National Grand Prix ahead of James Hogg (Intuitive) in second ahead and Harry Marshall (Barcelona) in third.
In Clonmel yesterday, Liam O’Meara another leg of the Underwriting Exchange National Grand Prix series with Oldtown KC, pipping Eddie Moloney and Andiamix Hero Z by just 0.2 seconds.
AND….. after submitting the copy above to the Irish Independent, news came through of a superb 1,2,3 finish for Irish Olympian Kevin Babington in the $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix at Lake Placid, NY. He steered the 14-year-old Hanoverian mare, Shorapur into pole position and lined up second and third with the Irish Sport Horses Super Chilled and Mark Q.
AND….Jordan Coyle made it a four-timer when steering Picador to victory in the Lafarge Cavalry Charge 1.50m at Spruce Meadows.
A really super weekend all round!