Cork’s Shane Sweetnam continued his promising form at the Toronto Royal Winter Fair show in Canada last night with a fourth place in the World Cup qualifier.

The Florida-based rider steered Chaqui Z, the 13 year-old stallion he co-owns with Spy Coast Farms LLC, into a very creditable fourth place in the five horse jump-off, just a fifth off a second off the pace of British Olympic Gold Medallist Nick Skelton aboard his Rio horse, the now almost legendary Big Star.

The only double clear of the competition was achieved by class winner, the USA’s four-time Olympian McLain Ward with the bay mare HH Azur, while second place went to fellow-countryman Kent Farrington and the nine year-old Creedance.

Ireland had another top ten finisher last night when Darragh Kenny slotted the gelding Cassini Z into ninth place, after dropping a single pole in the first round.

Sweetnam, who finished third in the show’s opening competition with Main Road and first in the International Jumper Challenge with Cobolt, saw last night’s fourth place lift him to number 13 in the World Cup North American League, the highest-placed Irish rider. Kent Farrington continues to top the table by a considerable margin.