TREVOR Breen ended his stint at the sunshine tour in Vejer de la Frontera in Spain on a high note when he partnered Bombay to victory in the four-star Invitational Grand Prix last Saturday. Owned by Willy Matton, the 11-year-old grey mare is by Lord Z out of Raffia. Some 11 combinations made it through to the second round and of those, seven delivered double clears.

A spectacular performance from Breen and the relatively inexperienced mare saw them finish almost half a second ahead of Belgian runner-up Karel Cox with Dublin Van Overis to collect €25,000. The Irish-bred Galway Bay Jed (Romanov x Lux Z) placed third under Britain’s Harriet Nuttall (0/0 40.52).

A day earlier, Breen and Bombay had come out on top in Friday’s Grand Prix qualifier after a massive 20-horse jump-off.

The combination stopped the clock in 36.16 seconds, just ahead of Germany’s Marcel Marschall on Fenia Van Klapscheut (0/0 36.35). In the young horse six-year-old class, the British-based Tipperary native placed second with Cordouan Fontanel.

“I am very satisfied with today’s result. I have had a spectacular weekend of jumping here, winning the big Grand Prix (qualifier) yesterday and now the Invitational as well. I am delighted to finish off the Sunshine Tour this way. This 11-year-old old mare just keeps getting better and better,” Breen said afterwards.

Sligo’s Richard Howley enjoyed a succesful trip to Spain and rounded off his month with victory in Saturday’s 1.45m ranking class aboard his own and Paul Beecher’s Cruising Star (by Cruising’s Micky Finn).

That combination were the runner-up in Saturday’s small tour 1.45m Grand Prix, just a second slower than Brazil’s Pedro Veniss and Anaya STE Hermelle. He also won the five-year-old final with Rossa Lough Derg.

Other Irish successes on the final day included a third place finish for Ballina’s Michael G Duffy in the 1.40m Big Tour B with Scenletha, while Tipperary’s Darragh Ryan took the runner-up spot in the 1.35m Medium Tour B with Santa Catalina. On Friday, Ger O’ Neill took a very close second place in the 1.30m Medium Tour with Dondoctro Ryal K, when clear in 26.89 and sixth with Billy Anchor (0/0 28.84.)

Greg Broderick was just outside the line-up in the 1.30m, when he delivered a clear with Hybernia for seventh. He was also took eighth place in the 1.35m with Billy Pringle.

A win for the Broderick-trained American rider Adrienne Dixon in the 1.45m Invitational Medium Tour Grand Prix was another Irish success.

Dixon, who is based at Ballypatrick Stables in Thurles, rode the Frank and Laura Glynn-bred Irish Sport Horse Killossery Kaiden to victory when first to go in the big jump-off, clocking a winning time of 35.32 seconds.