SHANE Breen took the top spot in the two-star 1.45m Grand Prix at Chard last Sunday from a startlist of 58. Only 11 combinations jumped clear in the first round to book their place in the jump-off, with three of them being Irish.

Six pairings kept all the poles in place over the shortened track, with Tipperary native Breen clocking the fastest time of 34.81 on board the 12-year-old gelding Scarteen. They were over a second ahead of nearest challenger Rachel Proudley (GBR) on Nera D Champs FT (36.00), with the podium being completed by another British rider, William Whitaker on Millfield Quickstep (36.09).

Ireland’s Peter Moloney rode Nielson into seventh place, with Anthony Condon on Oviedo ‘S’ finishing 11th in the class.

On form

The two-star show at Chard Equestrian Centre began on Thursday, April 24th and Ireland’s Adam Morgan on Millfield Social Isolation was a joint winner in the one-star five-year-old 1.10m class, while in the six-year-old 1.20m two-phase special, Moloney placed ninth on Dunard Air Tyson. The seven-year-old 1.30m two-phase special saw Condon on SFS Valente place 10th.

Shane Breen was certainly on form and rode Loughton Diamond to win the two-star Small Tour two-phase special from a start list of 46, when they jumped double clear in a phase two time of 29.06. The two-star Big Tour two-phase special saw Morgan on Joplin place fourth, while Breen finished 10th with Fanfan de Beaufour.

Condon placed ninth with Dominuno Z in Friday’s two-star Small Tour jump-off class, while in the one-star Bronze Tour jump-off class, Kyla Grieve place eighth with Nuit St Georges du Gibet.

Breen and Loughton Diamond were back in the ribbons, when placing fourth in the two-star Medium Tour speed class, followed by Condon on LMD Marko in seventh. Condon then placed eighth in the one-star seven-year-old 1.30m speed class with SFS Valente.

Saturday saw Condon take the runner-up spot in the two-star Medium Tour jump-off class on board LMD Marko, while Shane Breen rode Fanfan de Beaufour into third in the two-star Big Tour speed class, with brother Trevor placing ninth on Kannoon Blue.

Morgan and Millfield Social Isolation were among the joint winners in the day’s one-star five-year-old speed class and, in the seven-year-old two-phase special, Moloney and CBI Jasper placed seventh. Condon and Dominuno Z placed eighth in the two-star Small Tour 1.30m two-phase special.

Morgan placed seventh in Sunday’s one-star five-year-old jump-off class with Millfield Social Isolation, while Condon on FF Validam finished fifth in the six-year-old equivalent and fifth again with SFS Valente in the seven-year-old class.

Shane Breen was back on the podium in the two-star Small Tour speed class when placing second with Loughton Diamond, with Condon on Dominuno Z in 10th, while in the two-star Medium Tour two-phase special, Trevor Breen placed seventh on Desert Encounter OL.