IT was a one-two for Ireland in Saturday’s $65,000 FEI CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix at Tryon International Equestrian Centre in North Carolina, USA, when Paul O’Shea rode Hellcat to take the win, followed by Richie Moloney on Skelwith Diamond Lady in the runner-up spot.

From the 40 starters in the class, 11 jumped clear in the first round to proceed to the jump-off, where only five managed to jump a second clear round. O’Shea was the fastest of these in 33.94 seconds, with Moloney less than a second behind in 34.7. The third place on the podium went to American rider Marilyn Little on La Contessa (35.01). Moloney also took eighth place with Daisycutter.

Competition had commenced at Tryon last Wednesday, when O’Shea placed eighth with Spy in the 1.30m Open Jumper class, while in the 1.35m Open Jumper, Ireland’s Dan Geaney was sixth on Sade De Rialfo Z and David Blake was seventh on Scala Du Piedroux Z.

Thursday started very well for O’Shea, as he won the $32,000 FEI CSI2* 1.45m Welcome Stakes on Hellcat and placed fifth on Squirt Gun from a start list of 50. The winning pair (36.25 seconds) were a mere 0.05 seconds ahead of runners-up Alexandra Worthington (USA) on De L’Oiseliere (36.3)!

Geaney and Miss Spot placed sixth in the day’s 1.20m Open Jumper class and was runner-up in the 1.30m riding Istabraq TCS.

Moloney took fifth in Friday’s $6,000 FEI CSI2* 1.45m Speed Stake class on Ermes Di Tai, while the day’s 1.20m Open Jumper Stake saw Geaney as runner-up with Unter Welt VH Gerendal and O’Shea seventh on Ouija.

O’Shea concluded the show with an eighth place in the $25,000 Sunday Jumper Classic on board Primo CBI Cornet.