Sweetnam continues good early season form

“So far, so good,” was the typically understated response from Shane Sweetnam as he continued his run of good form in the opening week of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

Solerina gave the US-based Corkman the first of back-to-back wins on day one of the 12-week $4m festival, and the Cruising mare also carried him to third place in Saturday’s $25,000 1.50m feature class, just ahead of New Jersey-based compatriot Ronan McGuigan on his own nine-year-old Dutch warmblood Capall Zidane.

Success, however, did not materialise for Sweetnam and his fellow Irishmen in the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes contest.