ANTRIM teenager Christopher Megahey finished out 2016 on a fantastic note when winning the puissance at the Liverpool International Horse Show, just over a week after landing the same competition at the five-star London Olympia Horse Show.

Irish riders filled five of the top seven places in the class, with Megahey and the Irish Sport Horse Seapatrick Cruise Cavalier the only combination to clear the big red wall at its final height of 7ft (2m12).

Completing a double of British wins with a foot perfect five rounds of jumping in front of a packed crowd at the Echo Arena in Merseyside, Megahey said of the ex-eventer: “He is not a normal horse, he is very special. We’ve had him since he was an eight-year-old, and we have never quite found what to do with him.

“He evented for a while, and then I jumped him for a while, and we sort of fell into puissance and I have to say, ever since we started, he has been a real star.

“I love the puissance. You get a little bit nervous with him, because you don’t know what he can do, but as long as you get him to the right spot, he will always try his best. The puissance is a competition that the crowd love, and the atmosphere in there was brilliant,” said the 18-year-old, who picked up €4,000 for his victory.

Peter Smyth joined Megahey in the final round and had high hopes of retaining the puissance title for the second year in a row with the Irish Sport Horse Cavalier Rusticana. Smyth was unable to clear the wall in the final round and finished as the runner-upon this occasion.

Derry-born David Simpson, riding Polystar, shared third place with Britain’s Holly Smith, riding another Irish Sport Horse, Quality Old Joker. Simpson and Smith both faulted in the fourth round. Remarkably, Billy Twomey rode his Grand Prix-winning mount Diaghilev to finish in sixth place after clearing two rounds before opting to retire, while Michael Kerins finished seventh on Crass Clausi.