TWOMEY RACKS UP ANOTHER FIRST FOR IRELAND AT LUMMEN

CORK’S Billy Twomey racked up another first for Ireland this afternoon (Saturday) at the big five-star show in Lummen, Belgium, winning the Grand Prix Qualifier on Sue Davies’s 17 year-old mare Tinka’s Serenade.

The Irish rider outpaced Egypt’s Karim El Zoghby and his nine year-old mare Amelia by a fifth of a second in a closely-fought 12 horse jump-off to take the trophy, in what has been a fruitful weekend for Irish show jumpers.

At Lummen, where Ireland finished joint third in yesterday’s Nations’ Cup, individual wins were also recorded by Mark McAuley and Par Trois and Thomas Ryan with the Irish Sport Horse Cruise on Clover.

At Italy’s two-star show at San Giovanni in Marignano, Niall Talbot and Wido won yesterday’s two-phase competition.

Billy Twomey