TREVOR BREEN WINS QUEEN ELIZABETH CUP AT HICKSTEAD WITH ONE-EYED “WONDER HORSE”

TIPPERARY’S Trevor Breen kept it in the family today (Saturday) when he took the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead, repeating his brother Shane’s 2013 win in the same competition.

Riding Adventure de Kannan, who has overcome the loss of an eye to continue competing at the very top level of show jumping, Breen added today’s win to a list of triumphs at the English five star arena.

Last month Trevor Breen and Adventure de Kannan won the Equestrian.com Derby at Hickstead, a class he’d repeatedly come very close to winning, and the pair has also been victorious in the British Speed Derby (2009), the Amlin Plus Eventing Grand Prix (2012), the All England Grand Prix (2012) and now the Templant Events Queen Elizabeth II Cup. It is a record that no other horse has come close to matching at Hickstead.

“He’s a phenomenal horse, he loves this place and the International Arena,” said Trevor, who lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife Caroline and their daughter Mia.

The only one of Hickstead’s premier classes that the pair has yet to win is the Longines King George V Gold Cup, which Trevor and Adventure de Kannan have only been able to compete in once, when they were part of Ireland’s FEI Nations Cup team in 2013 (they finished 12th). But now there’s a new ambition on Trevor’s wishlist. “If he does manage to win the King’s Cup, that would just be the final piece of the puzzle. Hopefully we’ll be back for the King’s next year,” he added.

Shane Breen won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 2013 on Zarnita.

At the European Pony Eventing Championships in Millstreet, Cork, the Irish Eventing team dropped one place after the cross country phase today, holding overnight seventh on 245.30 faults, with France in the lead on 128.20. Highest placed Irish individual is Alex Power and Keredern Little Heather, who went clear today to finish in 18th. 

Trevor Breen and Adventure de Kannan winning at Hickstead today