Denis Lynch took the best Irish placing at the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham today with a runner-up spot on the bay mare Camilla in the Grandstand Media-sponsored Five Fence Challenge.

The Tipperary-born rider scored 10/10/7 in the three jump-off rounds, losing out on a final head-to-head with Britain’s Guy Williams and Depardieu van T’Kiezelhof, who scored 10/10/10, with Lynch picking up 2,200 euro for his second place.

Lynch also took an eighth place earlier in the day with Ho Go van de Padenborre in the 1m50 speed class, with victory going to Williams again, this time aboard the gelding Casper de Muze.

At the Split Rock Jumping Tour in Kentucky, USA, the Irish flag flew again today, with David O’Brien and O’Splendido winning the 1m40 speed class, and Derry’s Daniel Coyle taking fifth place with Ridley in the main jump-off class, which was won by Colombia’s Ilan Bluman and  Ladriano Z, and a sixth with Danturo B in the earlier speed competition.

In Vilamoura’s two-star show in Portugal, Ireland’s Darragh Kenny was in the money again, with a second place in the 1m40 speed class with G Andiamo Rodeberg, losing out to Britain’s Jessica Mendoza with Ramiro de Belle Vue by a fraction of a second.

Kenny notched up a further second place with Fixdesign Funke Van ‘T Heike in the 1m45 Two Phase, with victory going to Brazil’s João Victor Castro aboard Agatha D Ecaussinnes.

At the Moroccan Nations’ Cup at Rabat, the Irish team of Capt. Geoff Curran, Lt. David Power, Richard Howley and Marion Hughes did not qualify for the second round, despite two clears from Curran and Hughes.

Jack Burns