FOLLOWING the latest update of the Longines world rankings for show jumping, Scott Brash has moved ahead of Kent Farrington to regain his title as world number one, while Ireland’s Daniel Coyle has moved into the top 10.

Farrington is the new number two, and Ben Maher, Belgian Gilles Thomas and current Olympic champion Christian Kukuk round out the top five. Coyle has moved up from 11th into ninth, behind Germany’s Richard Vogel and the two French riders Julien Epaillard and Nina Mallevaey. McLain Ward has dropped one spot to sit in 10th.

About his success, Brash said: “I am incredibly proud to be world number one again. More than anything, it’s a reflection of the extraordinary team around me - the people who work tirelessly every single day, caring for our horses with such love and dedication. They are the ones who make sure the horses are as happy and as healthy as they can possibly be, allowing us to do what we do, and who keep everything moving forward.”

Irish riders have been on a generally positive trajectory, with Cork’s Shane Sweetnam moving up one spot to 11th. Cian O’Connor has retained his 22nd position and, despite serving a provisional suspension since October 13th that expires this month, Darragh Kenny also retains his place in 25th. Conor Swail has moved into 26th position, while Jordan Coyle and Denis Lynch join these riders in the world’s top 50. Bertram Allen, Tom Wachman and Philip McGuane have all improved their previous rankings and lie inside the top 100.

Daniel Coyle took to social media to say: “I’m delighted to be starting the year inside the world’s top 10. I’m thrilled with our latest results, it’s a fantastic way to kick off the year and a testament to the team at Lothlorien, the horses and our momentum heading into the season.”