Twomey third in Italian Grand Prix

CORK’S Billy Twomey and Chat Botte E.D finished best of the Irish in the three-star Grand Prix at Gorla Minore in Italy, taking third place after a double-clear round in 38.01 seconds. Mark McAuley and Shane Breen also made it into the jump-off with McAuley finishing seventh with Jasco vd Bisschop while Breen finished eighth with Compelling Z. Victory went to Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya with Alamo, the horse previously ridden to World Cup victory by world number one Steve Guerdat. Breen had earlier taken victory in the Six Bar competition at the same venue riding the stallion Cuick Star Kervec.

Gorla Minore also played host to the first leg of the Longines EEF Nations Cup series. Victory went to the French team of Marie Demonte (Vega de la Roche), Aurelien Leroy (Croqsel de Blaignac), Sebastien Duplant (Alpha de Preuilly) and Olivier Robert (Ilena de Mariposa). Britain finished second ahead of the Czech Republic in third. Ireland did not field a team at the venue.

Slattery placed

SOFIE Slattery finished fourth in the U25 Grand Prix in Lier, Belgium, with Valentine du Bois Pinchet last Sunday. She was just ahead of Shane O’Meara in fifth place with Fix Blue. Both combinations had four faults in the first round but were the fastest and second fastest four-fault rounds. O’Meara won Sunday’s 1.35m class at the U25 show aboard Haranta.

There was also a fourth place finish for Adam Morgan and Qualibro in the U25 Grand Prix at Lamprechtshausen in Austria.