Star of the Month

CONGRATULATIONS to Billy Twomey, winner of The Irish Field/Gain Horse Feeds Star of the Month award for October. The Cork native led the Irish charge at the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham, winning the Suregrow Five Fence Challenge aboard Katrina Moore’s Royale Du Rouet and then rode Joe Flynn’s Ardcolum Duke to the top spot in the Vinopolis Speed Horse of the Year class, to be crowned HOYS speed champion.

Billington off

EMERALD International EC has announced that the Geoff Billington Masterclass and training clinics, which were due to take place at the venue on Friday, December 12th, 2014, have been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.

It is hoped that the event will now be held during the Emerald International CSI** show in March 2015. All ticket purchases will receive a full refund through the usual Ticketmaster process.

Claremorris sale

THE last sale of the year for Hanley Horse Sales will take place on Sunday, December 7th at Claremorris, Co Mayo at 12 noon. The sale will consist of both a foal sale and a general horse sale. Enquiries to Charles Hanley on 087-2533993.

€10m FEI deal

THE FEI has agreed a deal in excess of €10 million with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and IMG Events & Media for coverage of the world’s biggest equestrian events between now and 2022.

The partnerships with EBU and IMG include broadcast rights to the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018 and 2022, the European Championships (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021), World Cup and Nations Cups.

Cheltenham

KIWI event rider Andrew Nicholson is going to ride at the Cheltenham Festival 2015 in the St Patrick’s Derby, a charity flat race in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund.

“In another life I would have loved to have been a jump jockey and riding at the Cheltenham Festival, the home of jump racing, is the closest I’m going to get to this dream,” said Nicholson (53). “At my age, you need to take the opportunities whilst they’re there and what better charity to do it for than the Injured Jockeys Fund as I have the most enormous respect for jockeys. I’m looking forward to the training for the race, but not to shedding two stone!”