IRELAND'S Shane Breen and the grey Cruising gelding 'World Cruise' took third place in tonight's (Saturday) Grand Prix Qualifier at Spain's five-star show in Gijon.

With an almost record-breaking 26 combinations through to the jump-off from a starting field of 61, competition was fierce for the 45,000 euro on offer, but Breen recorded one of only eight double clear rounds to claim third place, just under a second off the pace of Spanish winner Alfredo Fernandez-Duran and the Dutch-bred Musicam Gold Digger.

Breen, Cian O'Connor, Dermott Lennon and Capt. David O'Brien will all be contenders for Sunday's Gijon Grand Prix, where the prize money goes up to a significant 125,000 euro.