GALWAY rider Jessica Burke continued with her consistent run of form when securing two top five placings at the Spring Mediterranean Equestrian Tour at Oliva in Spain over the weekend.
Saturday’s Final Gold 3 1.45m jump-off class saw Burke on Express Trend (Future Trend x Condios Express), bred and owned by Liam Nicholas, finish just off the podium in fourth from a start list of 60, of whom 14 proceeded to the jump-off.
Burke and her mount jumped double clear in a jump-off time of 36.15. The win went to Matthew Sampson (GBR) riding Ebolensky, who were less than a second ahead in 35.54.
Then, on Sunday, Burke and Good Star du Bary finished fifth in the 1.50m Grand Prix. Of the 59 starters, 14 jumped clear within the time allowed in the first round to book their place in the jump-off, with seven completing double clear rounds. Burke’s time of 40.44 was just off the pace of class winner Teresa Blazquez-Abascal (ESP) on Nasa de Toxandria (38.98).
In the ribbons
Week two of the Spring Mediterranean Equestrian Tour began last Tuesday (April 15th) with a number of Irish riders jumping clear in the seven-year-old 1.35m, the six-year-old 1.25m and the five-year-old 1.15m classes.
In Wednesday’s MET Young Horse Champion Trophy for seven-year-olds, David Simpson on Billy Whiskey were third, with Robert Russell on Lui Coco in eighth. Simpson and Billy Whiskey were fifth in the seven-year-old 1.35m jump-off class with a double clear round in a jump-off time of 31.20.
Thursday’s Gold 1 1.30m two-phase class saw Michael G Duffy on Calandro 21 take ninth place when they jumped double clear in a phase two time of 31.81.
The Bronze 4 1.35m class on Friday saw Anna Carway on Ajaccio place sixth of the 73 starters when clear in 69.41, while Niall Talbot on H’Ayla Verano placed third in the day’s Gold 3 1.40m class.
Simpson took another top 10 finish, this time placing ninth with Dallco Chance in the Silver 2 1.40m two-phase class, with a double clear in 29.76, while the Bronze 3 1.30m class saw four Irish in the top 10, when Carway on Baskin Sunny Diamond placed fifth, Aisling Byrne was sixth on Celeste Spb Z and seventh on Chin Cham Cham and Shaun Farren was eighth on Nevada TE.
The Bronze 2 1.20m class saw Jenny Connors on Fortnight finish second, Sunnibhe Stassin on RNH Factor One in third and Olwyn Alexander on Faline in ninth.
Saturday’s Silver Tour 1.40m Grand Prix saw Talbot on FTS Elliot finish on the podium in third, followed by Nicola Fitzgibbon on Gracefield Apollo in fourth from 52 starters.
Talbot was runner-up in the Gold 1 1.30m class riding Deep Sea Semilly, while Duffy on Calandro 21 were ninth in the class and Alexander on Faline placed third in the Bronze 2 1.20m special two-phase class from a start list of 91.
On Sunday, Carway on Ajaccio placed fifth in the Bronze Tour Final 1.40m jump-off class.
Talbot and Duffy both finished on the podium in the Gold 2 1.45m two-phase class, with the former taking second on board Doris de l’Oiseliere and the latter third with Tornado Flip de l’Amitie Z. Burke placed 10th in the class with Seapatrick Toulon.
Carway placed eighth in the Bronze 2 1.20m class riding Baskin Sunny Diamond to conclude a successful show.