THERE were two Irish riders in the top five line-up of the three-star 1.50m Grand Prix in Mijas, Spain, last Sunday, when Harry Marshall took the runner-up position and Richard Howley finished fifth.

Signalling the end of the autumn sunshine tour at the Spanish venue, 41 combinations started over the Grand Prix course, with 13 qualifying for the timed decider. Only two of those managed to produce a double clear and Marshall’s time of 47.55 with Chirokko M was beaten by fractions of a second by Frenchman Guillaume Foutrier with Valcocco Des Caps (0/0 47.26). He picked up €8,000 for second.

British-based Sligo man Richard Howley was also clear in the first round and had a lightning fast time of 45.41 in the jump-off, but a fence down saw him finish in fifth place.

The Irish Sport Horse HHS Flo (Fortunas x Clover Hill), bred by Marion Hughes, finished third with Spain’s Paloma Barcelo.

Sligo’s Deane Rogan won Sunday’s 1.40m jump-off class with Tango du Valdecie (Helios de la Cour II x Brandy de la Cour) with a quick double clear in 41.96 seconds, while Marshall was fourth in a 1.40m two-phase on the same day with Barcelona.

Other Irish riders to pick up wins at the Spanish venue were Joanne Sloan-Allen, who won Sunday’s 1.25m with Wicked Hope, and Lucinda Roche, who picked up a number of good wins. She won Sunday’s 1.20m two-phase with Hebe van ‘t Palmenhof, where Longford’s Aisling Byrne placed third with Caju, and Saturday’s 1.20m speed class with the same mount.

Byrne picked up a win of her own in Thursday’s six-year-old 1.30m with the Irish Sport Horse Wellview Lucy (Wellview Cedric x Maltstriker).

Howley won Saturday’s 1.40m jump-off with Stal Hendrix’s Electra B (Arezzo VDL x Paladin des Ifs) to round of a good show for him, while Kris Marshall, son of Harry, led the victory lap in the 1.40m speed with the Laughton’s Flight-sired Irish Sport Horse Juicy.