IRISH riders had continued success at Ocala over the weekend, with Clare’s Philip McGuane and his reliable partner My Lady van de Krekel winning the three-star $32,000 1.45m Winning Round class on Friday to take home the top prize of $9,600 with their time of 40.88. They beat Charlotte Jacobs (USA) and her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Thomascourt Ballypatrick (Balou du Rouet x Doctros Delight by Indoctro), bred by Seamus Casey in Co Kerry, into second place (41.24).

Continuing the Irish run, Derry’s Daniel Coyle took the top spot in Saturday’s $15,000 1.35/1.40m Futures Prix with his brand-new partner Urville Z. Just five of the 21 starters jumped clear in the first round to proceed to the jump-off, where four of them remained fault-free. Coyle and Urville Z rode a quick jump-off round in 40.37 seconds to secure the win from Charlotte Jacobs (USA) on the Irish Sport Horse Rincoola Milsean in second (40.61), while Limerick’s Paul O’Shea on Ouija placed third (42.21). Athlone’s Francis Derwin on For Space finished in ninth place.

The winter programme at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida continued last week with three-star competition running from Wednesday until Sunday.

Wednesday’s three-star $32,000 1.45m speed class saw O’Shea finish third with Manglar LS La Silla and fifth with Imerald Van’T Voorhof. Jacobs (USA) and Thomascourt Ballypatrick won the class, while McGuane rode My Lady van de Krekel into sixth place.

O’Shea then won the $1,000 1.35m Jumper class on Ouija to conclude a super first day of competition for Ireland.

On Thursday, the three-star $62,500 1.50m Grand Prix qualifier saw McGuane and Coronado in the runner-up berth, while Coyle and Daydream placed sixth and McGuane rode Oilily Van’T Eigenlo into ninth place.

Derwin and Unforgettable Z finished seventh in the $32,000 1.45m Under-25 Grand Prix, while O’Shea and Ouija placed sixth in the $1,500 1.40m Jumper class and Derwin rode For Space into eighth place in the $1,000 1.35m Jumper class.

Richie Moloney and Skelwith Diamond Lady finished fifth in Friday’s $1,500 1.40m Jumper class, while Andrew Bourns and Drumiller Da Vinci placed third in the day’s $1,000 1.35m Jumper class. Moloney then finished eighth in the $15,000 1.45m Jumper Classic with Coco Beach.

O’Shea rode Imerald Van’T Voorhof into fifth place in the 28-strong three-star $120,000 1.50m Grand Prix. Only four combinations made it through to the jump-off, with O’Shea incurring a single time penalty in round one, which meant he didn’t get the opportunity to jump again.