Irish riders making their mark at Florida Winter Festival

Irish show jumpers are making their mark at the $9m, 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida, with Richie Moloney third in Saturday’s grand prix and Darragh Kenny racing to victory in a speed class.

The first “Saturday Night Lights grand prix took place in chilly and blustery conditions, with Moloney and Carrabis Z among 12 to make the jump-off from a 45-strong starting line up.

The Kilkenny rider briefly held the lead, before being overtaken by Chile’s Samuel Parot on Atlantis. American Todd Minikus was last to go and, while he didn’t believe he could take victory, his mount Quality Girl seemed to have other ideas, as they galloped and twisted in a performance that saw them knock four seconds off Parot’s target.