TWO more female Irish riders scored Grand Prix successes in Europe this evening (Sunday), with Kilkenny's Marion Hughes winning at Vimeiro in Portugal and Kildare's Nicola FitzGibbon taking fourth at the Bourg En Bresse Grand Prix in France.

Earlier in the day, Antrim-born Jessica Kurten made a Grand Prix comeback when finishing fifth at the big five-star show at St. Gallen in Switzerland with the bay gelding 'Lektor'.

In Vimeiro, Hughes piloted the Irish-bred 'Heritage HHS Fortuna' to victory in a ten-horse jump off, clocking up a double clear round and taking home 7,500 euro in prize money. Fellow Irish rider Paddy O'Donnell on another home-bred mount, 'Harristown Princess', took eighth place in the same competition after lowering two poles in the second round.

At the four-star show at Bourg-en-Bresse, 23 year-old Nicola FitzGibbon and her Dutch-bred gelding 'Puissance' won 7000 euro for their fourth place in the French-dominated Grand Prix, a single second-round mistake denying the combination a higher position, with the winner's laurels going to local rider Timothée Anciaume and 'Litsam' on a double zero score.
 

Marion Hughes (top) and Nicola FitzGibbon