TIPPERARY’s Shane Breen finished runner-up in the four-star Hamburg Derby in Germany last weekend.

Riding Team Z7’s 13-year-old stallion Can Ya Makan, Breen won Friday’s 1.50m Derby trial and earned €6,250 when he broke the beam in 96.18 seconds, produced just one of seven clear rounds in the class of over 60 starters.

Germany’s Sandra Auffarth finished second with Nupafeed’s La Vista (0/ 97.92), ahead of last year’s Hamburg Derby winner Matthew Sampson and the Irish Sport Horse Quality Old Joker (0/ 98.10).

Breen and Can Ya Makan went into Sunday’s 1.55m Derby as favourites and lived up to that billing when going clear in the first round. That clear was matched by Germany’s Nisse Lüneburg and Cordillo 3 and when the pair went head-to-head in the jump-off, Lüneburg’s time of 53.52 seconds was just over a second faster than Breen in 54.71. He earned €24,000 for second place.

Global Champions League

Breen teamed up with Britain’s William Whitaker to form the Miami Celtics team who finished second in Saturday’s five-star Global Champions League at the German venue. Breen rode his experienced 11-year-old gelding Ipswich van de Wolfsakker, owned by Breen Equestrian, Jos Lansink Horses and Konstantin Pysarenko, to a clear round in both legs.

Whitaker picked up four faults in Saturday’s final aboard RMF Cadeau de Muze, the former mount of Denis Lynch, to see the team finish second on four faults and earn €24,283.

The St Tropez Pirates team of Pieter Devos and Olivier Robert teamed up for their second victory. Miami Celtics have moved up to third place on the rankings.

Speaking afterwards, Breen said: “It is nice to move up one place on the rankings and I am delighted with second today. We are in a good place for Cannes; I am on the team with Ipswich along with Harry [Charles] and Jessica [Springsteen] - we are quietly confident.”

Germany’s Daniel Deusser took over the Longines Global Champions Tour ranking lead after a triumphant home win in the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix with Jasmien v Bisschop to the delight of the German crowd.