IRISH riders made their mark on last week’s four-star Andalucia Sunshine Tour at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain. Galway’s Jessica Burke was one of the successful Irish contenders, taking second in Friday’s four-star Big Tour 1.45m two-phase special class on African Affair. In another top five finish, Burke placed fourth in the day’s four-star Big Tour 1.50m speed class on 15-year-old gelding Express Trend (ISH), owned and bred by Liam Nicholas.

Burke finished on the podium in the one-star final eight-year-old jump-off class, securing third place with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Seapatrick Toulon, bred by Barry McCann, and also ninth place with Romelus de Muze, with fellow Irish riders Emily Turkington on Vanilla placing fifth and Rhys Williams on Clique Royale Z in seventh place in the class.

Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy was another who performed well at the show. On Sunday, he finished fourth of 49 starters in the four-star Grand Prix with the Ennisnag Stud-bred ESI Rocky (ISH) to take home €10,550 in prize money. Burke and Express Trend were among the first-round four-faulters and placed ninth.

Placings

Week seven of the series commenced last Tuesday, with Irish combinations in the placings from the first class. Section A of Tuesday’s one-star five-year-old 1.15m two-phase special class saw Turkington place fourth on Rockefeller, followed by Adam Morgan in fifth on Millfield Social Isolation.

Jason Foley rode Castlefield Future into ninth in Section B of the one-star six-year-old 1.25m two-phase special from 57 starters. Meanwhile, in Section A of the seven-year-old 1.35m speed class, Conor Drain on Nadim van de Kruishorst placed fifth of 42 starters. Drain also claimed eighth out of 44 starters in Section B of the class with Nerium.

Turkington and Rockefeller placed fifth in the one-star final five-year-old 1.20m class on Wednesday, from 30 starters. The rider went on to place 10th in the final six-year-old 1.30m class on board Tournee Generale van’t Gelutt, but Kilkenny’s Eoin Brennan was best of the Irish in this class when placing seventh on the Irish Sport Horse mare GCS Angelina. Brennan went on to place fifth in the one-star final seven-year-old 1.40m class with Augustus Z.

In the one-star farewell seven-year-old 1.35m class, Rhys Williams and Aquarius JL Z secured 10th place, while the eight-year-old 1.40m class saw Burke finish fourth with Seapatrick Toulon.

Thursday started well when Foley rode The Wayfarer to win the four-star Big Tour 1.35m speed class, followed by Hughes Kennedy on Castlefield Hera in third; Burke on African Affair in seventh and Sophie Dalm on KEC Jackalynn (ISH) in ninth.

Burke was on a roll and finished third in the four-star Big Tour 1.50m Celeste Trophy speed class with nine-year-old grey gelding Good Star du Bary.

Friday’s four-star Medium Tour 1.45m two-phase class saw Hughes Kennedy ride Dure de Semily into sixth place.

The four-star Classic Tour 1.30m speed class saw more Irish success, as Sorcha Gamble on My Sina vd Kalevallei placed third, followed by Grace McHugh on GMH Monte Bella in sixth.

Hughes Kennedy and Castlefield Hera won the four-star Medium Tour 1.40m two-phase special, ahead of Foley on Casia Z in 10th. Turkington rode Hasting de Kerglenn into fourth place in the four-star Big Tour 1.35m class, with Leah Stack on Meadow-H following in seventh.

The four-star Classic Tour 1.10m class saw Amanda-Jayne Comyn take two top five placings with her two Irish Sport Horses; taking second with Eirian Gatsby and fourth with GMH Ability.

On Saturday, Max O’Reilly Hyland rode Rock Warrior into sixth place in the four-star Small Tour 1.45m two-phase special class, while the day’s Classic Tour 1.30m class saw McHugh and Cruising With Alice (ISH) placing fifth.

Burke claimed another podium finish in the four-star Small Grand Prix 1.45m class, when third with Good Star du Bary, while Hughes Kennedy and Castlefield Hera showed their skill when runners-up in the Jump and Drive class.

Foley won the four-star Medium Tour 1.40m speed class on Casia Z, followed by Stack on Rose Marie I in eighth. Stack then placed seventh with Rozetta van het Mettenhof in the four-star Medium Tour 1.30m speed class, with McHugh and Massive Star finishing eighth in the four-star Classic Tour 1.20m speed class.

McHugh and Cruising With Alice (ISH) placed sixth in the four-star Classic Tour GP 1.35m class, while in the Classic Tour 1.25m class, Gamble on My Sina vd Kalevallei were runners-up. Stack and Meadow-H came eighth in the four-star Big Tour 1.35m two-phase special class.

Brennan took the runner-up position in the four-star Big Tour 1.45m speed class on Eskola M, while Burke placed fourth with African Affair. Meanwhile, Dalm on KEC Jackalynn placed ninth in the four-star Medium Tour 1.40m two-phase special class.