(26 Feb 2010)
WITH a top class international field lining out for tonight's (Friday) big jump-off class at Gothenburg, Sweden, two Irish riders made it into the top ten, with Antrim-born Jessica Kurten claiming the runner-up spot on Lady Georgina Forbes's gifted mare 'Castle Forbes Libertina'.
The competition, a qualifier for Sunday's World Cup class at the five-star show, saw nine combinations make it through to the second round from a startlist of 46, with 40 year-old Dermott Lennon and Woods Rosbotham's gelding 'Hallmark Elite' edged out by a single time fault and settling for tenth overall.
Despite a blistering finish, Kurten had to give way to local hero Rolf-Goran Bengsston, whose 'Ninja la Silla' stopped the clock just a fifth of a second faster than the Irishwoman, and claimed the 13,000 euro first prize.