Mayo’s Padraic Judge won the Puissance competition at the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham on Saturday night riding the 15-year-old Anglo European gelding Citi Business.
From a starting field of 14, only three combinations took part in the third jump-off round, where Judge, who was competing at the show for the first time, and Citi Business were the only ones to clear the wall at 2.14m. The winning horse is owned by Sligo solicitor Donnacha Anhold.
Second place was divided between Britain's Holly Smith, who rode the Irish Sport Horse gelding Quality Old Joker, and Louise Saywell, whose mount Dassler is owned by Ireland's Billy Twomey.
At Vilamoura in Portugal, Co Offaly’s Darragh Kenny won Saturday’s 1.40m jump-off class with the eight-year-old Zangersheide stallion Charming Fellow Z.
In eventing, the Irish team of Declan Cullen (Seavaghan Ash), Sam Watson (Imperial Sky), Austin O'Connor (Kilpatrick Knight) and Michelle Kenny (RLE Aspe) moved up from 10th after dressage to fourth following Saturday's cross-country phase of the three-star Nations' Cup in Boekelo, the Netherlands.
Heading into Sunday’s show jumping phase, Ireland is on 193.20 penalty points (Kenny, who had a stop on the course, providing the discard score) as New Zealand leads on 152.90 ahead of Germany (166.30) and Australia (183.70).
New Zealand's Tim Price tops the individual leaderboard on Cekatinka (43.70 penalties) with the best-placed Irish rider in 11th being Watson with his individual mount Ardagh Highlight (43.70).
Following heavy rain in the region over the previous two days and a steady drizzle on Saturday, the going on the cross-country course was very testing and just one rider came home clear in the time allowed, Chris Burton riding the ISH gelding Cooley Lands. This moved the Australian combination up from 69th to 10th.
