CORK’s Shane Sweetnam captured the $72,000 Longines Cup at the four-star Hampton Classic Horse Show in New York for the third consecutive year.

Riding Spy Coast Farm’s home-bred stallion Kirschwasser SCF, Sweetnam was among 10 to progress to the jump-off in the feature 1.50m class.

Clear rounds were slow to come in the jump-off and it wasn’t until USA’s Catherine Tyree, fourth to go, with the Irish Sport Horse BEC Lorenzo (Livello x Guidam) crossed the line with nothing to add in 39.19 seconds to see her temporarily take the lead and eventually second place.

The nine-year-old BEC Lorenzo was bred Brian Duff in Co Meath and was campaigned as a young horse by his daughter, Anna, before being sold to Tyree.

Sweetnam was ninth to go and wasted no time as he took to the track. A series of tight lines aboard the talented nine-year-old saw him set the winning time in 39.16 seconds.

Last to go, all eyes were on USA’s Adrienne Sternlicht as she took it on with the huge-strided Toulago. A daring gallop down to the double combination paid dividends as she stopped the clock in 39.25 seconds to take third, less than one-tenth of a second behind the winning time.

Speaking after the win, Sweetnam explained his tactics. “Originally I was thinking of doing five strides from the double combination to the black oxer, but I ended up being so direct to the black oxer that I shaved it to the right, and I was still not slowing down to fit the next line,” he said.

“I tried to bend out to the right to fit the strides in the line, which ended up helping me as I was angled over the DOHA jump and pointed right into the turn to the next jump. It’s not always part of the plan, but sometimes it ends up working out.”

On Saturday, Richie Moloney and Boriena H took the runner-up place in the $15,000 Speed Derby (1.40m), ahead of Sweetnam and Kecho Du Sud.

Later in the day, Sweetnam and Chaqui Z, finished fourth in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier, ahead of Jonathan Corrigan and Loughnavatta Indigo (ISH). Sweetnam took the runner-up place in the 1.45m $10,000 Palm Beach Masters aboard Kirschwasser SCF.

Further down the line in fifth was Moloney with Call Me Number One, and the Kilkenny man was back in the ribbons later that day when claiming fourth in the $40,000 Hampton Classic Speed Stake CSI4* aboard Ypaja Yando.

On Sunday, David Blake was best of the Irish when he finished fifth in the $300,00 DOHA INC Grand Prix, aboard Keoki. The combination finished the first round on a single time fault, when clocking 88.62.

Corrigan also picked up a single time fault with the Luidam-sired 10-year-old gelding Loughnavatta Indigo. Victory went to Canadian Olympic veteran Mario Deslauriers and Bardolina.

Sweetnam also claimed the Longines Rider Challenge at the elite show. For all of the seven years the $30,000 Longines Leading Rider Challenge has been in place, it has been won by an Irish rider, going back and forth between Sweetnam and Moloney.

With his consistent results all week, Sweetnam secured the title after amassing 364 points to finish on top. He received the $30,000 prize as well as a new timepiece courtesy of Longines.