Breen and Burke complete an Irish double at Hickstead

SHOW JUMPERS Shane Breen and Marie Burke completed an Irish double at the Longines Royal International Horse Show in Hickstead at the weekend.

Breen had little difficulty beating Ellen Whitaker in Saturday’s Sky Sports Speed Classic to capture the top prize of £3,000.

Riding Dorada, he trumped Whitaker, on board her specialist horse Henri de Herne, by 1.36 seconds.

“I watched Ellen’s round very closely and thought I could take a gamble by galloping faster over the Derby Bank,” said Tipperary-born Breen. His win followed that of Burke on Chippison in the Longines Classic on Saturday. The 14-year-old home-bred stallion carried the Ennis rider across the finish line almost two seconds ahead of Swiss rider Paul Estermann (Kaiser de Quesnoy).

“He always shines in a big, atmospheric arena like Hickstead or Dublin,” said Burke of the horse.

Burke, with Chippison, and Breen with World Cruise, are hoping to impress team manager Robert Splaine and gain a place on the team for next month’s European Championship in Mannheim Germany. However, both were out of luck in yesterday’s feature classes, Breen going out of contention in the King George V Cup in round one on eight faults with World Cruise, while four faults kept Burke and Chippison out of the reckoning in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

In La Coruna, Spain, Jessica Kürten claimed the top prize in Saturday’s City Council Grand Prix.

Riding the Danish-bred mare Quibell, the Antrim rider finished her round with a spectacular gallop that proved much too hot for those that followed in the 11-horse jump-off.

Closest was Dutch rider Gerco Schroder (Ventimiglia), who was more than 1.5 seconds off the pace set by world number three Kürten. Cheshire-based Cork rider Billy Twomey also jumped double clear to finish fourth on Tinka’s Serenade.

Frankfurt-based Mayoman Cameron Hanley twice came close to victory at the four-star show with SIEC Royal Star. In yesterday’s Banco Pastor jump-off, he was denied by Spanish champion Rutherford Latham Morehead on Jaina De Barnevil in a high-class field. German rider Franke Sloothaak also proved Hanley’s undoing.

In the Junior European Show Jumping Championships, the Irish team of Alexander Butler (Sea Dancer, 12/12), Darragh Kenny (Mullaghdrin Gold Rain, 16/13), Anthony Condon (Ramiro III, 0/12) and Ivan Dalton (Ashdale Futuro, 13/13) finished 10th.

Condon also placed 15th in the young riders final classification.