TIPPERARY rider Shane Breen was best of the Irish in this afternoon's (Sunday) five-star Grand Prix in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, when finishing in fifth place on Carmel Ryan's 11 year-old grey stallion 'Carmena Z'.

Breen, who is now Sussex-based, was one of ten riders to go clear in the first round from a starting field of 47, but dislodged a pole in the jump-off and dropped to fifth overall, collecting 14,000 euro for his place.

Billy Twomey and Sue Davies's talented mare 'Tinka's Serenade' were the second Irish combination to qualify for the jump-off but the Cork rider suffered a similar fate to Breen, also ending with four faults but in a slower time, taking a ninth place prize of 4,000 euro.

The 50,000 euro first prize was claimed by America's double Olympic gold medallist Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Ranch's mare 'Coral Reef Via Volo', who were one of just four combinations to emerge with a final zero penalty score in this afternoon's competition.

Shane Breen