Camilla Speirs and Portersize Just A Jiff take sixth place at Pau, while Cian O’Connor scores top 10 finish in World Cup opener

Ireland’s Camilla Speirs and the tiny but big-hearted Portersize Just a Jiff, scored one of Ireland’s best Eventing results of the season, with a sixth place finish at four-star Pau in France today, a competition which as part of the FEI Classics Series attracted a host of the world’s top horses and riders.

Kildare-based Speirs and The Traditional Irish Sport Horse Portersize Just A Jiff (pictured left), produced a foot-perfect round in the final Show Jumping phase – one of just seven combinations to do so on the last day of action at the French venue. The Irish combination were in 11th place after Saturday’s Cross Country phase, where they were one of seven Irish combinations to jump clear adding just time faults. As Show Jumping poles fell to the ground for many of the top combinations on Sunday,  Speirs and the diminutive “Jiffy” climbed the leaderboard to eventually snatch a superb sixth place finish on a total score of 55.7 penalties.

Galway Young Rider Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua (ISH) also enjoyed an excellent result, finishing in 12th place overall (61.1) in what was their first ever competition at four-star level, while Sarah Ennis and Horseware Stellor Rebound (ISH) also finished inside the top 20 on a score of 72.6.

Irish Sport Horses filled three of the top 10 places. Along with Portersize Just A Jiff coming home in sixth, One Two Many finished fourth with Nicola Wilson (GBR), while Wilson also slotted into eighth place with Annie Clover. French rider Maxime Livio ensured a home win when he guided Qalao Des Mers to a clear final Show Jumping round to finish on a score of 45.3. Olympic and World champion, Germany’s Michael Jung, looked set to win at Pau, which was the one top level honour that had eluded the superstar of Eventing sport. However he lowered two fences when leading with Fischerrocann FST (52.2), dropping them down to third. Jung also filled runner-up spot with his second mount Fischertakinou (52.1).

In Show Jumping, Meath-based Cian O’Connor (pictured left), finished best of the Irish in the opening round of the five-star Longines indoor World Cup series at Oslo in Norway. O’Connor and the 10-year-old stallion Good Luck were one of 20 combinations who jumped clear in the opening round to advance to the jump-off. One fence down in a fast time against the clock saw O’Connor and the Adena Springs & Ronnoco Jump Ltd-owned Good Luck, take 10th place and valuable World Cup points at the early stage of the competition. An incredible performance from Italy’s Alberto Zorzi and Fair Light van T Heike saw them take the winners prize, despite being drawn first to go of 20 combinations against the clock. Wexford’s Bertram Allen and Tipperary’s Shane Breen were also in action in the Oslo World Cup but failed to make it into the jump-off. Allen lowered two fences with Molly Malone while Breen finished with one fence down and time fault with Golden Hawk.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Cork-born Shane Sweetnam guided the eight-year-old gelding Main Road to a runner-up finish in the $130,000 three-star Suncast Grand Prix at Tryon in North Carolina, USA
One of eight combinations to jump clear in the opening round to advance to the jump-off, Sweetnam and the Sweet Oak Farm & Seabrook LLC-owned Main Road again jumped clear against the clock. They finished just over two seconds behind American rider Andy Kocher and Zantos II.

At the two-star French show at St Lo, former World Champion Dermott Lennon finished third in the Grand Prix with Valent, while Kilkenny’s Anna Carway finished sixth in the Chevenez Grand Prix in Switzerland with Claricella. Damien Dixon finished fourth with Quelqu’un Des Mets in the Grand Prix at Cagnes Sur Mer in France, while Harry Marshall finished sixth in the two-star Dutch Grand Prix at Asten riding Barcelona.

BREEDING CCI4* PAU, FRANCE

4th. One Two Many (ISH) – 2002 gelding by Chacoa (HOLST) out of Cul Na Breathar (ISH), by Colin Diamond (ISH). Breeder: John O’Brien, Co. Limerick. Rider: Nicola Wilson (GBR)

6th. Portersize Just a Jiff (ISH) {TIH} – 2000 gelding by Crosskeys Rebel (CP) out of Mizen Talent (ISH), by Mizen Melody (TB). Breeder: Philip White, Co. Derry. Rider: Camilla Spiers (IRL)
8th. Annie Clover (ISH) – 2004 mare by Newmarket Venture (HANN) out of Kilderry Clover (ISH), by Clover Hill (ID). Breeder: James Bradley, Co. Cork. Rider: Nicola Wilson (GBR)

12th. Rioghan Rua (ISH) 2007 chestnut mare by Jack Of Diamonds (SWB) out of Highland Destiny (ISH), by Flagmount King (ID). Owner/Bred by Margaret Kinsella, Co. Galway. Rider: Cathal Daniels (IRL)