EIGHTEEN-year-old Jack Ryan landed one of his biggest international successes to date when winning last Sunday’s two-star 1.45m Grand Prix in Opglabbeek, Belgium.

Riding Anne Marie Fagan’s eight-year-old gelding Essenar High Hopes (Phin Phin x Indoctro), Ryan earned the top prize of €6,250 when he was the fastest of seven double clear rounds in the 11-horse jump-off, breaking the beam in 36.38 seconds.

Galway’s Jessica Burke, who has recently relocated to Britain to base at Arion Stud, also produced a double clear round with Liam Nicholas’ home-bred nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse Express Trend (Future Trend x Condios).

Their time of 41.37 saw them slot into fifth place to earn €1,750. Runner-up to Ryan was Belgium’s Zoe Conter and La Una (0/0 39.51).

Ryan was also winner of Saturday’s 1.40m Table A jump-off class with his trusty partner, Cavalier Teaca (Glidawn Diamond x Cavalier Royale). The 12-year-old mare who is owned by Jack’s mother Marguerite, was the fastest of six clears in the 11-horse jump-off in a time of 33.88 seconds. Ger O’Neill faulted once against the clock to finish seventh with Jack van het Dennehof.

Ryan’s other good results included runner-up in Friday’s seven-year-old 1.35m class with David Cullen and Ronan Rothwell’s Filou de Muze-sired Filouandra at their first international show together. They were double clear in 29.90 seconds.

Foley double

Jason Foley won two classes at the Sentower Park venue. The first of those came in Saturday’s one-star five and six-year-old 1.20m class. He guided Home Farm Equestrian’s five-year-old mare Lady Angeles to victory with the fastest of 11 double clears in the jump-off.

They broke the beam in 27.95 seconds to earn €500. Jessica Burke slotted into third place with the six-year-old Nikita van het Geinsteinde, owned by Louisa Church, when clear in 29.84 seconds. She was also clear with Nikey HH to finish 11th.

Foley then claimed first and second place in Sunday’s two-star 1.20m Table A. He was quickest of 10 clears with Geraldine Digby’s eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse Thebestof Quality (Quality Safari x Master Imp) in 52.72 seconds, beating himself into second place with the nine-year-old Api des Champs (0/ 53.47).

Burke, who has made an impact in her new job already, won Friday’s five and six-year-old class with Nikita van het Geinsteinde, and finished second in Saturday’s two-star 1.20m aboard Iron Lady SR W, a six-year-old mare also owned by Louisa Church.

Isabel Fitzpatrick was another Irish winner at the show. She guided the seven-year-old mare SHW Candies Diamond to victory in Friday’s 1.20m two-phase when clear in 27.48 seconds.