Kevin Babington rounded off a brilliant weekend for Irish show jumping when second in the $150,000 Ocala Grand Prix in Florida, last night.

Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine spoke yesterday of "sacrifices" made in preparation for the Alltech World Equestrian Games, but they counted for nought as the team failed to secure a place in the Rio Olympics.

Irish show jumping manager Robert Splaine remains hopeful of bagging a place at the Rio Olympics with a top-five finish today at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

Ireland show jumping team manager Robert Splaine was far from defeatist after his team’s disappointing performance in yesterday’s Furusiyya Nations Cup at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show.

Having fallen out of contention, Billy Twomey yesterday pulled out of the World Cup final citing Tinka’s Serenade age.

Show jumper Denis Lynch rounded off his World Cup challenge yesterday in 14th place in Gothenburg, Sweden.

WITH the battle for individual places at the Olympics intensifying, Billy Twomey achieved an important fourth place in the lucrative grand prix at Basel, Switzerland, yesterday.

LAUREN Hough knew there was room for improvement on her poor performance in Friday’s Nations Cup at the Discover Ireland Horse Show and proved it emphatically yesterday by winning the €200,000 Longines Grand Prix on a day when America dominated.

BILLY TWOMEY almost gave Irish fans the perfect ending yesterday to the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show but, in the end, he had to settle for third in the feature event, the €200,000 Longines Grand Prix.

HAVING never won an international class at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show, Paul O’Shea yesterday went and topped the leaderboard in two contests yesterday , writes John Tynan.

Darragh Kerins came close to overhauling American champ Beezie Madden in last night's WEF Challenge Cup in Wellington, Florida.

CONOR SWAIL won the Boswell Grand Prix League on a fitting note yesterday when victorious in the penultimate round at Iverk Show, Piltown, Co Kilkenny.

IRISH show jumper Marie Burke was upbeat last night ahead of the penultimate round of the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, today.

IRELAND’S show jumpers yesterday scraped into the last round of the team contest at the World Equestrian Games at Aachen, Germany today when placing 10th.

MARIE BURKE, riding Chippison, proved an able replacement for Cian O’Connor yesterday when best of the Irish on the opening day of show jumping at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.

JESSICA KÜRTEN is to test the goodwill of the Irish show jumping selectors with a request for slots in forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

CORK’S Billy Twomey was Ireland’s standard bearer on day one of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horseshow yesterday, placing second in the opening international class and seventh in the follow-up feature.

Jessica Kuerten sits joint-first ahead of this evening's individual show jumping final at Athens' Markopoulo centre after a stunning clear round on ten-year-old mare Castle Forbes Maike.

Ireland's show jumpers put in an impressive display in last night's Olympic team final, as Jessica Kuerten's inspired clear round saw them rise two places to seventh under the floodlights of the Markopoulo centre.

Kevin Babington celebrated his 36th birthday in style at the Markopoulo centre, as he guided his mount Carling King to an individual fourth and qualified Ireland as ninth of 10 nations for tonight’s Show Jumping team final.

IRELAND’S showjumping strength in depth was evident last weekend in Florida when a team riding borrowed horses was pipped by America’s top riders in a nations cup.