IRISH riders featured heavily in the prizes at the two-star Mediterranean Equestrian Tour at Oliva in Spain last weekend, not least in last Sunday’s feature Grand Prix which was won by Gavin Harley.

The 19-year-old from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, scooped the €30,000 1.45m contest after he produced a blistering jump-off round with Understone VD Kapel. A massive 17 horses and riders went clear in the opening round, with 10 of those managing to go clear again against the clock.

However Harley and the 11-year-old son of Happy Wind D’hof Ten Bos, finished with just over a second in hand over second placed Belgian rider Jerome Guery with Boyfriend Du Seigneur, Harley collected €7,500 for his Spanish win along with Longines world ranking points.

Niall Talbot was next best placed of the Irish riders in seventh spot with Nicos De La Cense, while Anthony Condon took ninth place with Aristo.

Harley also scored a podium finish in the Oliva Nova Resort Trophy 1.40m contest last Saturday. Riding the Clarimo-sired eight-year-old Claraddo, Harley produced a double clear round to finish just over a second behind Belgian rider Jerome Guery with Grand Cru Van De Rozenberg. Niall Talbot took sixth place in the same class with Calou, while Cameron Hanley slotted into eighth spot aboard Nickoletta.

Trevor Breen added to the Irish winnings when finishing third in a 1.45m speed class last Friday in Oliva. Breen was riding the nine-year-old gelding Georgie D’Auvray EC and finished four seconds behind French winner Harold Boisset and Quolita Z. Co Derry’s David Simpson had earlier scored a runner-up finish in a 1.40m speed class with the Irish Sport Horse Whiterock Lucky Lady. Three Irish riders finished in the top six, with Gavin Harley filling fifth place with Claraddo, just ahead of Nicola FitzGibbon and Poker Des Dames in sixth.

Co Longford’s Aisling Byrne rounded off an excellent opening week for the Irish at Oliva with a runner-up finish in last Sunday’s 1.40m jump-off class. Byrne and the Irish Sport Horse, Wellview Classic Dream, came home just a fraction behind winner Rashid Al Rumaithi from the United Arab Emirates with Really LS La Silla.

The Mediterranean Equestrian Tour continues this weekend at Oliva, which is near Valencia in Spain, with the final week of action concluding next Sunday.