Riding Karen Swann’s Adventure De Kannan, the Tipperary rider was once again knocking on the door of a Grand Prix victory at the two-start show in Vilamoura, Portugal, but was denied the win by 0.39 seconds.

Breen and the 14-year-old gelding recorded one of only three clear opening rounds but they were beaten in the jump-off by Swiss rider Faye Schoch and her mount Novelle Europe Z. Schoch went clear in 42.24, while Breen finished in 42.63.

The Cashel native had also finished second in the seven-year-old speed class on the previous Thursday with Cabriole. Another one owned by Karen Swann, the Westfalian gelding jumped clear in 38.75 under Breen but was beaten by British rider Laura Renwick who went clear in 37.05 with Little Pleasure. Breen also took ninth place in the five-year-old two-phase class on the Wednesday of the show, riding his own Hello Vivendi.

David Simpson won the 1.45m speed class last Saturday, winning the class with his own Dutch Warmblood gelding Arantos. Simpson had more than two seconds to spare over his nearest rival, Andreas Brenner from Germany, and also finished in tenth place with his second ride, Valencio, recording one pole down in 74.33.

Simpson also took second place in Friday’s 1.40m speed class with Arantos. Finishing on 59.09, the pair was just beaten by Britain’s Jessie Drea and Baloufina who finished in 58.56. Michael Duffy took fifth place in the same class, finishing in 64.66.

Simpson featured again in the 1.45m speed class on Friday, finishing in fifth place with Valencio on a time of 40.72. This put him two places ahead of Dermott Lennon and Corbeagh Luxor in seventh. Owned by Dermott and Cathal Lennon, the Lux Z-sired Irish Sport Horse gelding finished in 40.96.

Banbridge native Lennon moved up the rankings in the 1.40m class, taking second place on Zowiezo, a 10-year-old gelding owned by Nick Burd. Lennon finished in 42.63, behind class winner Giovanni Lucchetti from Italy.

Lennon also added a ninth place in the 1.30m two-phase competition to his record, this time riding Desmond and Shane McFadden’s Irish Sport Horse stallion Clinton Jack. David Simpson and Clear The Way finished in seventh place in the same class. The same combination finished fourth in the 1.30m speed class on Saturday, where Michael Duffy and Ikantook Van Bost Z finished in ninth place.

Alexander Butler and the 10-year-old Hanoverian mare Monastery Stud More Pleasure finished in fifth place in the 1.35m speed class on the Friday and on Sunday added a seventh place in the 1.40m speed class.

Darragh McCarthy and the nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood Fragile D’Or finished in eighth place in Sunday’s 1.30m speed class.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Samir Mirdad won three classes and took several placings at the two-star show. Mirdad won the 1.10m speed class on the Saturday with Uraeus, finishing in 58.18. He also took third and seventh places with Mirdads Jebreel and Mirdads Sheeefff.

Mirdad had earlier finished second in both the 1.10m speed class and the 1.20m speed class on the Friday of the show. Riding Mirdads Sheeefff in the 1.10m, he finished in 51.65, behind British rider Olivia Gent. In the 1.20m, Mirdad rode Mirdads Hubb Alrahmaa to finish in 52.79 behind Luca Samuel Mota Sousa from Portugal. Also on the same day, he finished seventh in the 1.20m class on Mirdads Azzzer.

On Sunday, Mirdad won the 1.20m two-phase competition with Mirdads Hubb Alrahmaa in 28.97 and claimed a one-two in the 1.10m speed class. The win came courtesy of Mirdads Sheeefff, who came home in 53.74, while second place went to his other ride Uraeus.

In the young horse classes, Michael Duffy took eighth place in the six-year-old class, riding Duco.