OFFALY's Darragh Kenny won the 1.45m ranking class in the CSI5* in Miami, Florida on Vancouver Dreams.

Three Irish riders finished in the top 10 in the opening 1.45m ranking class of the CSI5* show on the Global Champions Tour in Miami this afternoon (Friday).

Victory went to Darragh Kenny riding the 13-year-old mare Vancouver Dreams, who jumped double clear and finished in a time of 25.39 seconds. Dutch rider Maikel Van Der Vleuten finished second and American rider Natalie Dean completed the podium.

Having only started competing the Max Kühner-owned mare this year, this is the third international victory for the combination, who claimed a three-star and a four-star victory during the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington. Out of nine international starts, this pair have only finished outside the top 10 on three occasions.

Denis Lynch narrowly missed out on a top five finish with Cornets Iberio, settling for sixth place in a time of 26.26. The 11-year-old stallion is owned by Sebastien Schatzmann.

Kilkenny's Michael Pender finished eighth with the Irish Sport Horse HHS Catwalk, in a time of 26.5 seconds. Bred by Thomas A Hughes and owned by Bravo Hughes Ltd, the 11-year-old mare is by Cit Cat (HOLST) and out of the Traditional Irish mare HHS Clo Jo. This combination spent the early part of 2023 competing in Spain and Portugal, where they recorded some good results including a second place in a CSI3* 1.45m.

Breeding details

HHS Catwalk (ISH) – 2012 mare by Cit Cat (HOLST) out of HHS Clo Jo (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Thomas A Hughes, Co. Kilkenny. Owner: Bravo Hughes Ltd. Rider: Michael Pender (IRL).

The Irish Show Jumping team is sponsored by The Underwriting Exchange

Source: Horse Sport Ireland press release