THE Gain Equine Nutrition Irish Junior show jumping team finished an agonising fourth at the FEI European Championship in Peelbergen on Thursday.

James Kernan’s quartet of Emily Moloney with Temple Alice, Eoin Brennan with Eskola M, James Brennan with MHS Everything and Coen Williams with Conthanja, made a charge in the second round, having gone into it in sixth place overnight on a score total of 16.61.

That left the team with plenty to do to peg back leaders France on a score of 9.06, but this team are made of stern stuff and got straight down to the business of hunting their rivals down.

Moloney and Temple Alice were first into the arena and were foot-perfect to give Ireland hope, jumping superbly for a clear round. They were followed by Eoin Brennan and Eskola M, who duly obliged with their own clear round for Ireland to move Ireland into the medal positions at that point.

There was an unlucky four faults for James Brennan and MHS Everything and that left it to Williams and Conthanja to keep Ireland in the mix.

In an impressive piece of riding, Williams somehow managed to keep the poles in place, as Conthanja got in far too deep at one point before getting over the fence and staying on pace to come home with zero faults.

With France having secured gold and Britain at least a silver, it was all down to final Spanish rider Olivia Alvarez García and Gazquine Tag, who jumped clear and send her team into a jump-off for silver and bronze, which Britain prevailed in.

Individual results

Individually, Emily Moloney and Temple Alice (ISH) were third best of the four-faulters, finishing seventh on a total of 7.92 faults. This 12-year-old stallion by Foxglen Cruise Control x Rantis Diamond was bred by Susan McDonald and is owned by Eddie Moloney and TSI Equestrian.

The other junior Irish pair to finish in the top 10 was James Brennan and MHS Everything (Quidam Junior x Cavalier Royale bred by Ita Brennan and owned by Sinead Brennan) in 10th.

Williams and Conthanja (Conthargos x Grand Step) were very much in the mix lying in sixth place overnight going into the finals, but they ended up finishing 15th after a final round pole down scuppered their top-10 chances.

Leading the individual field was Spain’s Olivia Alvarez García, who was one of only two riders who rode clear all the way with Gazquine Tag. The other clear came from Thijmen Vos and Cadillac Z of the Netherlands, who finished second.