Caitriona Murphy

IRELAND’s pony riders got off to a great start at the international Nations Cup show at Fontainebleau, France with five wins in the opening days of the show and a double victory for Mikey Pender.

European pony championships veteran Pender and Cul Ban Mistress flew the Irish flag by winning the seven-year-old class on Thursday and followed up with a second victory in Friday’s 1.20m seven-year-old class. His compatriot Robbie Clancy and My Castlehill Lass also finished in the top 10, taking eighth place.

Clancy had earlier recorded a win in the two-phase class with I’m a Tom Boy, beating four fellow Irish riders, Olivia Roulston and Sparkling Castlewarren Gold (second), Hollyanne Sweetnam on Temple Spartacus (third), Charlotte Houston and Blessington Grange Mist (fourth) and Cian Harrison with Wheres My Colour (fifth place).

On Thursday, Killian Ryan and Graiguecullen Bens Boy won the six-year-old class, leading a trio of Irish riders in the class. Second place was claimed by Oisin Aylward and Coppenagh Oliver Twist, while Hollyanne Sweetnam and Ultimate Spartacus finished sixth.

Jack Ryan and Holiday Hop On won the six-year-old Table A class against the clock, with Michael Roche (Bellegrove Diva) in third place and Hollyanne Sweetnam (Ultimate Spartacus) in fifth.

The riders are part of a huge Irish contingent who have travelled to compete at the French show. Some 38 ponies and 20 Irish riders are on site for the weekend, including the Irish squad for tomorrow’s Pony Nations Cup.

SQUAD

Five combinations have been named on the squad, with the final team of four to be named by Tom Slattery ahead of this afternoon’s (Saturday) competition. The squad consists of Harry Allen (Cassandra Van Het Roelhof), Cormac Foley (Crown Jewel), Grace O’Donnell (Orchids Vienna), Cora Sharkey (The Galway Blazer) and Abbie Sweetnam (Spartacus Reape).

The Nations Cup will take place today, Saturday, at 2.30pm GMT, with the Grand Prix taking place on Sunday from 12.30pm.

Speaking ahead of the Nations Cup, pony show jumping team manager Tom Slattery said: “The Pony Spring Tour has once again worked out very well for selecting our team and individual combinations.

“This year we are travelling over with a relatively inexperienced squad, it is a young squad and none of them have competed at a Nations Cup before. It will be a good test for them and I am looking forward to seeing them perform.”