KENNY CLAIMS VICTORY ON HIS RETURN TO USA WITH IRISH SPORT HORSE GATSBY

DARRAGH Kenny, a member of Ireland’s show jumping team at the World Equestrian Games last week, returned to his US base yesterday with a win at North Salem, New York.

Offaly native Kenny scored his first place at the four-star show on Allison Toffolon’s Irish Sport Horse Gatsby, and was joined in the prize money by fellow Irish rider Paul O’Shea and Skara Glen’s Sienna, who finished third. Cork’s Shane Sweetnam also claimed a sixth place with Spy Coast Farm’s Eregast van’t Kiezelhof.

Kenny then proved that neither he nor Gatsby were one-hit wonders when repeating their victory in the Grand Prix Qualifier on Friday. 

In Canada, meanwhile, sterling efforts by the organisers at Spruce Meadows saw heavy overnight snowfalls cleared from the outdoor arena yesterday. One of the first five-star competitions saw Cork’s Billy Twomey finish in fourth with Katrina Moore’s stallion Royale du Rouet. The competition was won by Canada’s Olympic gold medallist Eric Lamaze and Fine Lady 5. Twomey is joined at the Alberta show by Shane Breen, Dermott Lennon and Conor Swail for the Nations’ Cup on Saturday evening.

Nineteen year-old Bertram Allen, who finished seventh individually at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy last week, will compete at the Longines Global Champions Tour event at Lausanne in Switzerland this weekend alongside Denis Lynch and Cameron Hanley, who were also part of Ireland’s team at Normandy.

Darragh Kenny and Gatsby