The England-based rider and the 12-year-old gelding took the winner’s cheque of €17,358 with a clear round in the jump-off, stopping the timer in 34.52 seconds.

Howley’s compatriot Harry Allen, whose older brother Bertram won the earlier Speed Derby, was second with Calculatus, jumping clear in the jump-off round in a time of 36.85 seconds.

Greek rider Ioli Mytillineou, riding Levis de Muze, was third in 38.00, winning €7,890.

The next two positions went to Irish combinations, with Denis Lynch and Vistogrand fourth in 34.83, followed by 2018 winner Shane Sweetnam and yesterday’s Sport Ireland Classic winner Out of the Blue Scf (36.80).

Howley’s win was a first for Ireland in the class since 2018 when US-based Shane Sweetnam and Indra van de Oude Heiheof claimed victory by just 0.59 seconds.

It was only a fifth victory for the home nation since 2011.

Statistical information kindly provided by Equiratings.

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The visitor denied two of Ireland’s Aga Khan Trophy-winning combinations from Friday, Conor Swail with Count Me In and Shane Sweetnam with the Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz as they filled second and third places respectively.

Ireland’s Andrew Bourns and the Irish Sport Horse Sea Topblue were fourth while French combination Megane Moissonnier and Cordial were fifth.

Ireland’s Rhys Williams and the 7-year-old Playboy JT Z took the International 7 & 8 year-old competition. Tipperary’s Denis Lynch with Dark Chocolate took the runner-up spot, while Jason Higgins and Heritage MBF came third.

Kildare’s Mikey Pender achieved yet another RDS win on Sunday when winning the six-year-old ‘Cruising’ National Championship with HHS Rose. Leah Stack and Laurina won the 5-Year-Old ‘Flexible’ National Championship.

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Ireland climbed from overnight ninth place to finish fourth overall and take one of the five Olympic places on offer – and at the finish, missed out on the bronze medal by just one penalty.

Just the top 10 teams from the 22 that started the week made it through to the final under floodlights. Ireland starting in ninth place overall, carrying forward a score of 17.15 penalties from the first two rounds held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was first to jump with his Rome Grand Prix winner Brooklyn Heights. The World No.25 produced an excellent round, jumping clear over the fences, picking up just one time fault over what was proving a very difficult course.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen then gave Ireland another boost when he jumped an outstanding clear round with The Irish Sport Horse Pacino Amiro. Those rounds from Lynch and Allen moved Ireland up five places to fourth with two riders left to jump for each of the 10 teams.

Third to go for Ireland, Meath’s Cian O’Connor and C Vier 2 were clear until the penultimate combination where they had one fence down and picked up one time fault for a five fault score. That score from O’Connor would prove crucial.

Derry’s Daniel Coyle had a couple of fences down with Legacy, after which Coyle decided to retire knowing he couldn’t improve Ireland’s score.

Sweden claimed a well-deserved team gold medal after finishing on a score of just 7.69. Netherlands took silver on 19.31 while Britain just pipped Ireland for bronze on 22.66 seconds.

Ireland in fourth had a final score of 23.15, while Germany took the last Olympic qualifying place on a score of 24.76.

Irish team manager Michael Blake said:

“Obviously we are delighted to take an Olympic qualification place at the very first opportunity as it now gives us two full years to prepare for the Games. It is slightly bittersweet as we came so close to winning a medal.

Horse Sport Ireland CEO Denis Duggan added:

“Huge congratulations to Michael Blake and his team on a fantastic performance at the World Championships and in gaining Olympic qualification. To qualify here at the very first opportunity against all of the top teams in the world, is hugely significant, as it gives us as much time as possible to prepare for Paris.”

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The Dutch city was Ireland’s second of four opportunities to gain points in Europe’s top division. The result moves Ireland up to fifth place on the league table with 150 points. They are well-positioned in the race to see which teams will qualify for September’s Nations Cup World Final in Barcelona.

Ireland were drawn first to jump in the opening round and Daniel Coyle with Legacy was the pathfinder. The Derry man and Legacy came home clear and well inside the time.

Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heightsstrom looked to be heading for another Irish clear when second to go. They picked up four faults, however, at the very last double.

Cashel’s Trevor Breen was third in with Highland President. They were also clear towards the end of their round but had a fence down on the troublesome last line to finish on four faults.

Shane Sweetnam was last to go for Ireland in the first round with The Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz. The combination delivered a brilliant clear round to keep Ireland well in the hunt. Ireland finished the first round in equal second as one of four teams on a four fault score. The home team from The Netherlands held the lead on zero.

Round Two

Daniel Coyle produced his second brilliant clear at the start of the second round to keep the pressure on the leaders.

Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heights repeated their four fault score from the first round. It looked as though Trevor Breen was going to deliver a clear second round with Highland President but the very last fence fell after a slight rub to leave them with four faults.

Shane Sweetnam and the nine-year-old James Kann Cruz (ISH) completed a hugely impressive double clear round as last to go for Ireland. This left Ireland on a final score of eight faults.

The result hung in the balance until the very last horse left the arena, but it was the Dutch team that took victory. They were the only team to finish on a zero score. France finished second on the same score as Ireland but in a slightly faster time.

EEF Nations Cup

In Deauville, France, Taylor Vard’s Irish team of Thomas Ryan, Jessica Burke, Kevin Gallagher and Jenny Rankin took third place overall in the three-star Longines EEF Nations Cup semi-final.

The result means Ireland comfortably qualify for the Longines EEF Nations Cup Final in September in Warsaw.

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The event will be live on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Players as Michael Blake’s Irish team chase points in Europe’s top division.

Irish Show Jumping team manager Michael Blake has named his four team members, with Ireland drawn first too jump of the eight teams.

Derry’s Daniel Coyle with Legacy will be the pathfinders. Tipperary’s Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heights will be next into the main arena for Ireland. Another Tipperary man Trevor Breen with Highland President will be the team’s third representative in the class. Cork’s Shane Sweetnam and the Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz (ISH) will be on the anchor leg.

Ireland will compete against The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden and Britain today.

Italy will also be among the starters but as a non-Division 1 team are not eligible for league points. The home Dutch team are defending champions, with Ireland’s last win in Rotterdam coming in 2000.

Ireland’s first points-scoring round in Europe Division 1 saw them collect 70 league points following a fourth place finish at Sopot in Poland.

Ireland’s remaining points scoring opportunities after today will be at Hickstead on July 29th and Ireland’s home Nations Cup for the Aga Khan Trophy at the Dublin Horse Show on Friday August 19^th. Both of these Longines FEI Nations Cup competitions will also be broadcast live on RTÉ.

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The Polish leg of the competition will be Ireland’s first points-scoring round of 2022 in Europe Division 1.

Ireland will arrive in Sopot in superb form, having won four Nations Cup competitions so far this season.

Michael Blake’s side will face tough competition in Sopot, where Europe’s top teams will be competing for points on the road to qualification for the Longines FEI Nations Cup World Final in Barcelona at the end of September.

France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden will compete for points on Sunday. Poland and Denmark will also field teams but are not eligible for points as they not in Europe Division 1.

Blake has selected a strong squad that includes World No.19 Darragh Kenny and recent five-star Grand Prix of Rome winners, Denis Lynch with Brooklyn Heights.

The Irish squad for Sopot is as follows:

Trevor Breen with Highland President.
Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heights.
Darragh Kenny with Volnay Du Boisdeville.
Mark McAuley and Django Ste Hermelle.
Jack Ryan with BBS McGregor (ISH).

Sunday’s Longines FEI Nations Cup of Poland in Sopot gets underway at 11am Irish time with the entire second round broadcast live on the RTÉ News Channel starting from 1pm Irish time and finishing at 3pm.

You can find the RTÉ News Channel on Sky 521, Saorview 21, Virgin 200, Eir 500 & on the RTÉ Player.

Ireland’s upcoming Longines FEI Nations Cup competitions in Rotterdam, Hickstead and Dublin will also be shown live on RTÉ.

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The Tipperary rider has enjoyed an excellent run of results in recent months with his top string of horses which includes Cristello, GC Chopin’s Bushi and Rubens LS La Silla. He has climbed seven places on the rankings this month alone.

Offaly’s Darragh Kenny continues his long run inside the top 10 and is now at No.10.

Ireland has no less than 12 riders inside the top 100.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen (No. 21) and Cork’s Shane Sweetnam (No.25) are in the top thirty.

Kildare’s Mikey Pender has made a big jump of 20 places and is now at No.55.

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The Tipperary man clinched victory by half a second from Offaly’s Darragh Kenny and Vinci de Beaufour.

Third place in the jump-off went to German rider Katrin Eckermann and Cala Mandia.

A delighted Lynch praised his horse, saying:

“The horse has been in great form recently. To win here is really great and I am delighted with him. It is a great class to win, Cristello is very impulsive, a real fighter and trier so we work well together.”

Ten clear rounds

From the international field of 32 contenders, there were 10 clear rounds that made it into the jump off. First to return to the ring home hero Marcus Ehning and A la Carte NRW. They jumped clear and set a time of 38.46 seconds. Darragh Kenny swifty knocked him off top spot with Vinci de Beaufour to stop the clock in 36.99 seconds.

Young talent Andrzej Oplatek and Conthinder opted for a slightly steadier pace counting on a double clear to help them stay in the placings. While it started to unravel for Pieter Devos after he clipped the Longines oxer and misjudged the side to the final fence causing a refusal and collecting 18 faults, in the end, to rule themselves out of contention.

Though many top-class international riders tried to better Kenny’s performance, all failed until his fellow Irishman took to the arena.

Lynch and Cristello cleared every fence, with the pair shaving milliseconds off the time. They flew towards the last to stop the clock in 36.47 seconds, to take the win, and give Irish riders a 1-2 in Berlin.

The Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL team series now moves to the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London from 13-15 August 2021.

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Sligo’s Howley scored another major international win in the two-star Grand Prix at Oliva in Spain, riding Arlo de Blondel.

From a list of 83 starters, 10 made it into the jump-off. At the end, Howley had almost two seconds to spare over British runner-up John Whitaker with Unick du Francport. Howley had also taken victory in Friday’s World Ranking class in Oliva with Chinook.

Denis Lynch and GC Chopin’s Bushi win in Germany

At Riesenbeck in Germany, Denis Lynch and GC Chopin’s Bushi took an impressive win in the feature 1m55 speed competition.

Drawn 11th to go of 53 competitors, Lynch set what proved an unbeatable clear in 64.02 seconds, winning almost €20,000.

Lynch had almost a second and a half to spare over German runner-up Maurice Tebbel with Don Diarado. Another German, Christian Kukuk, finished third with Quintino. Clare’s Eoin McMahon was also in the prizes and finished eighth with Chacon 2.

Cathal Daniels is runner-up in Portugal

In Eventing, Cathal Daniels and The Irish Sport Horse Shannondale Mari finished in runner-up spot in the CCI3*L at the Portugal Winter tour in Barroca d’Alva.

The pair finished on their Dressage score of 34.2 just 0.6 of a penalty behind the French winner Regis Prud Hon with Bennix de Bory.

Ireland’s Brian Kuehnle took fifth place with Tullybards Now Or Never on a score of 37.5.

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Seventeen teams competed at the Spanish venue with the Irish side managed by Michael Blake.

Ireland started brilliantly and shared the lead at the halfway stage. Three clear rounds from Mark McAuley with Jasco VD Bisschop, Michael G Duffy with Lapuccino 2 (ISH) and Cameron Hanley with his own ESI Toulouse (ISH) meant Denis Lynch didn’t need to jump in the first round with Cristello.

The top eight teams at the end of round one advanced to round two.

Ireland and Egypt started the second round on zero faults, with Denmark on 2 faults, and Germany and Sweden on four faults. Morocco, Portugal and Brazil also make it through to the second round on five faults.

Britain, The Netherlands, France, Italy and the home team from Spain all missed out on the second round of the competition.

Ireland’s lead slips in round two

In round two, Mark McAuley completed an excellent double clear and it looked at that stage that Ireland could be set for victory.

Four fault rounds from both Michael G Duffy and Cameron Hanley, along with three clear rounds from the Germany team, put the pressure on Ireland’s anchor rider Denis Lynch.

The Tipperary native needed to jump clear to force a jump-off and he left all the fences standing with Cristello, however a foot in the water ended Ireland’s hopes of a win.

It was a second victory in the space of a week for the Germans after they had also won at Vilamoura in Portugal.

They finished on a score of four faults while Denmark finished as runners-up on six faults and Ireland third on eight faults.

Ireland team manager Michael Blake said of today’s competition:

“We again tried out a couple of new horses and a completely different team to the one from last week in Portugal. It was disappointing that our lead ebbed away in the second round.”

Blake continued:

“We again finished on the podium and that means we have finished on the podium five times from the six Nations Cups during a year in which we had huge disruption to the Nations Cup calendar.”

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