FURTHER Irish wins from Marion Hughes in France and a double of victories for Shane Carey in Poland brought the tally of first place finishes to six in Europe last weekend.

Kilkenny’s Marion Hughes was in action at the four-star show in Valence, France, where she got off to a win in last Friday’s 1.45m speed class on Heritage HHS Fortuna (ISH).

Blistering around in a time of 60.23 seconds on the 15-year-old home-bred mare by Heritage Fortunas, she had just 0.20 of a second to spare over Frenchman Louis Baohana aboard Shamrock Du Niro (60.51), and picked up €9,900 in prize money.

Germany’s Maximilian Schmid finished third on Coco Chanel 145, in 60.63 seconds, and Ireland’s Shane Breen was back in seventh aboard Market Irminka, also clear but in a time of 63.21.

Hughes and Heritage HHS Fortuna also claimed another top placing in Saturday’s 1.50m Table A, finishing in fourth with a clear round in 62.36 seconds

The victory went to Britain’s speed merchant Laura Renwick and her recent Millstreet Grand Prix winner Heliodor Hybris (61.15).

Breen’s second placing came in Sunday’s 1.50m two phase class, when he guided Market Irminka to sixth with a double clear round in 24.61, in a class won by French rider Roger Yves Bost and Pegase Du Murier (22.79).

CAREY DOUBLE

Limerick-born show jumper Shane Carey, who is based in Denmark, landed two wins at the three-star show in Ciekocinko, Poland, last weekend aboard Contenance 15.

Carey guided the 10-year-old mare by Cornet Obolensky to victory in Friday’s 1.40m class before going on to land the 1.45m jump-off competition on Saturday, picking up the winner’s prize of €25,000.

Double clear in 34.77 seconds, Carey relegated Portuguese rider Rodrigo Silva Morgado to the runners-up spot with Donchalant (35.57), ahead of Belgium’s Nadège Janssen and Rolls D Elbe in third.