Ireland finished fifth in today’s fourth and final qualifying leg of the 2026 Longines League of Nations series, with a total of 20 faults at St Tropez-Gassin in France.
The Irish team, led by Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Jumping Manager Jessica Kürten, produced a gritty performance against the world’s leading nations, finishing ahead of the USA, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland in the final standings.
Ireland’s team of Trevor Breen and Highland President, Mark McAuley and Clooney van Spalbeek Z, Billy Twomey and Ace of Hearts Z, and Shane Breen and Scarteen completed the opening round on eight faults before adding 12 faults in the second round.
Ireland’s opening round saw Twomey produce a clear round with Ace of Hearts Z, while Trevor Breen, McAuley and Shane Breen each added four faults. With the best three scores counting, Ireland finished Round 1 on eight faults and qualified for the second round among the top eight teams.
The format then becomes even more demanding in Round 2. Only the top eight nations from Round 1 return, and each team selects three riders to jump again. Unlike the opening round, there is no discard score in Round 2 – all three results count. The penalties from the two rounds are then combined, with the team finishing on the lowest total taking victory.
For Ireland, Trevor Breen, McAuley and Twomey were selected to return for the second round.
Breen produced one of the highlights of the Irish performance, delivering a brilliant clear round with Highland President, completing the course in 71.28 seconds. It was an important performance as Ireland began the second round with no margin for a discard score.
McAuley and Clooney van Spalbeek Z added four faults, while Twomey and Ace of Hearts Z finished on eight faults meaning 12 faults were added to the opening eight-fault opening-round score to finish on 20 faults overall.
Breen’s performance was particularly notable, with the Tipperary man bouncing back from a desperately unlucky four faults at the water in the opening round before returning to produce a clear when every second-round score counted.
His clear with Highland President was the first of Ireland’s three second-round scores and ensured the team remained firmly in contention as the final round unfolded.
McAuley also delivered a consistent performance across both rounds, scoring four faults each time with the nine-year-old Clooney van Spalbeek Z, while Twomey’s clear in Round 1 with Ace of Hearts Z helped Ireland secure its place in the top eight before the second-round test.
The final Irish score of 20 faults placed the team fifth, behind France on four faults, Brazil and Belgium on eight, and Italy on 16 faults.
France claimed victory on home soil, with Nina Mallevaey, Antoine Ermann, Simon Delestre and Julien Epaillard combining for a final score of just four faults.
Today’s competition at the Haras de Gassin – Polo Club Saint-Tropez brought the four-leg qualifying series to a close. The event was the final qualifying opportunity for the world’s top eight teams to secure their place at the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona, which Ireland has safely qualified for and will bid for glory in the prestigious series.