IRELAND finished on the podium as the 2025 Longines EEF Nations Cup Series kicked off at Lier in Belgium last Friday, with 12 teams lining up to take on the challenge. Michael Blake’s team consisted of Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy with the Ennisnag Stud-bred ESI Rocky (ISH) (Stakkato Gold x Clonaslea, by For Pleasure), Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy with Jargon DN, Clare’s Eoin McMahon with Cornest and Cork’s Billy Twomey with Jumping Jack van de Kaleva.
Twomey was first in for Ireland and jumped a clear round with Jumping Jack van de Kaleva to get the team off to a great start. McEvoy was second to go with Jargon DN and they picked up four faults. Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky (ISH) were next up and also incurred four faults, but anchorman McMahon and Cornest rode a super clear round as last to go, to keep Ireland on a score of four faults at the end of round one.
Clean sheet
The second round got underway with Twomey and Jumping Jack van de Kaleva collecting four faults. They were followed by McEvoy and Jargon DN, who jumped a brilliant clear round second time out. Hughes Kennedy was next to go for the Irish team and he and ESI Rocky (ISH) kept all the poles intact to keep Ireland on their four-fault score.
After three riders, Ireland were only one fence behind the Portuguese leaders. Unfortunately, McMahon retired in the second round, so with no discard score, the four faults in each round meant Ireland finished on a score of eight.
Portugal maintained their clean sheet throughout to take a well-deserved win. Great Britain also finished on eight faults, but in a faster time than the Irish, so they took second place.
There was an Irish connection on the British team, as the Irish Sport Horse Kingsborough Kasper (Kannan x Varola), bred by Cliodhna Carroll in Co Sligo, was ridden by Jodie Hall McAteer to complete the only double clear for the team to assist in their runner-up finish.
Top 10
Show jumping commenced at Lier last Thursday with Twomey and Julius placing 10th in the day’s three-star 1.40m speed class, jumping clear in 83.67. Portugal’s Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida on Solidat won the class in a very fast 62.10.
On Friday, McMahon and Good Gracious placed 10th in the two-star 1.40m two-phase class, when double clear in a second phase time of 26.10. Sara Vingralkova (CZE) on Damocles From Second Life Z took the win in 22.87.
Foley sixth in Grand Prix
In Sunday’s 59-strong three-star 1.55m Grand Prix, Carlow’s Jason Foley rode Chedington Hazy Toulana into sixth place when double clear in a jump-off time of 39.61.
They were just over a second behind class winner Niels Fockaert (BEL) on Chacco Me Biolley (38.26) and second-placed Gilles Thomas on Qalista DN (38.40), who completed a one-two for the home nation.