The year is getting off to a familiar start for Irish riders based in the US as the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) commences in Wellington, Florida today and continues for three months.

There were some positive moves for Irish riders in the latest Longines rankings issued by the world governing body, the FEI, yesterday.

Show jumper Billy Twomey pocketed €30,000 yesterday when he won the Hamburg Derby in Germany on Diaghilev.

Cian O’Connor continued to demonstrate the Olympic credentials of Good Luck on Saturday, the pair finishing fourth in the five-star grand prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

CO DOWN show jumpers Conor Swail and Dermott Lennon continued to impact at the Toronto World Cup show in Canada, placing third and fourth, respectively, in Saturday’s Ricoh Big Ben Challenge.