IRELAND’s Junior (under 18) show jumping team won the Nations Cup at Fontainbleau in France yesterday (Friday) on a team total of five faults, ahead of Belgium in second on eight faults and the home nation of France in third place on 12.

Chef d’equipe James Kernan fielded an experienced team of medal winners in Kate Derwin, Harry Allen, Jennifer Kuehnle and last year’s European gold medallist Jason Foley.

Derwin led the way as the team’s pathfinder and produced a brilliant clear with her father Francis’ 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding AHG Whiterock Cruise Down (Cruisings Mickey Finn x Touchdown). They repeated that performance in the second round to produce one of just three double clears in the competition. Harry Allen was the discard score first time out when picking up seven faults with Ballywalter Stable’s Quarisma Della Caccia, but reduced that to a single time fault in the second round, coming home with all the fences intact.

Kuehnle, who is kept extremely busy juggling much success in both the eventing and show jumping arenas, rode Damien Conway and Ed Tatum’s nine-year Irish Sport Horse mare Consun (by Air Jordan Z) and picked up four faults first time round, before coming back to produce a perfect clear second time out.

Winner of the Spring Tour final Grand Prix in Warrington two weeks ago with Castlefield Cass, Foley partnered Home Farm Equestrian’s 11-year-old stallion Uncas S and, on their first international outing together, jumped a foot-perfect clear in the first round. The result was wrapped up and victory confirmed with Foley still to jump and he decided to save the horse for another day.

Earlier in the day, Allen finished fifth in the 1.45m Under 25 Grand Prix qualifier aboard Dancing Queen Z.

A delighted James Kernan said: “We came here with a very strong team – three previous European gold medal winners and one rider who has won European individual silver. That really came out today as all four riders jumped brilliantly which was even more impressive as some of our riders were on relatively new horses. We had some very strong riders left at home and it is all very positive for the future. We will go to Hagen next for the Nations Cup there and continue our preparations for the European Championships that take place in July.”