DAREN Hopkins notched up two international wins in Millstreet last weekend, taking the 1.40m Speed class on Thursday and then adding the 1.35m jump-off on Saturday.

Some 86 combinations lined out for the Olaf Herrmann and James Tarrent-designed speed track on Thursday, where 31 answered all the questions correctly to provide a clear round.

Hopkins was quickest riding Leo Carey’s home-bred Kan Cruise (Kannan x Cruising). The duo broke the finish beams in a time of 66.03 for the win.

European junior team gold medallist and National Young Rider Champion Coen Williams took the runner-up spot aboard his Dublin winner, the German-bred mare Conthanja in 66.82.

Jonathan Smyth and the Anne Doherty-owned and bred Crystal Graf (Lux Z x Graf Magna) posted a time of 67.63 for third place and shared the spot with Dublin Puissance winner Comdt. Geoff Curran who rode the Minister For Defence’s Derry Cush (Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Aldato), bred Alfie Hillen, to a clear in exactly the same time.

Sharon Fitzpatrick’s Keatingstown Z Wellie was ridden into fifth place by Daniel McAlinden, while the Brennan brothers of James and Timmy slotted into sixth and seventh place riding Sinead Brennan’s MHS I’m The One (Lancelot x Cavalier Royale), bred Ita Brennan, and GCS Ita (O.B.O.S. Quality 004), owned and bred by Olivia Brennan.

1.35m win

Hopkins’ second win came on Saturday. A total of 57 started in the 1.35m jump-off class which offered €5,000 in prize money. Some 24 of these managed to keep a clean sheet in the first round to progress to the jump-off.

Just 10 of the 24 produced a second clear round, with 10 having a single fence down for four faults and a further three having two down.

It was tight at the top with Hopkins, once again aboard Leo Carey’s Kan Cruise, securing the win in 35.85, just ahead of Francis Derwin Jnr riding his own Belgian-bred Parvati AEG (Arezzo VDL x Darco) in 36 seconds for the runner-up place.

Shane Goggins and Jack Goaley’s Boleybawn Cayman (Cassidee x Ard VDL Douglas), bred Ronan Rothwell, took third in 36.46, while Britain’s Nicole Kershaw and Keonan Stables’ Clovalent (Valent x Cruising), bred by Mary McCann, took fourth in 39.13.

Alex Finney and the Belgian-bred Absolutely Kinmar Z were fifth, and Katie Nallon guided the Duffy Sport Horses-owned and David Dodd-bred Ecklands Helado (HHS Charlton) to sixth place.