IRELAND’s David Blake and Pine Hollow Farm’s Binkie kicked off Tryon Spring 7 with a win in the $34,000 Suncast FEI Tryon Welcome at Tryon International Equestrian Centre, the first FEI class ever be offered at the North Carolina venue.

Blake and the nine-year-old Dutch warmblood by Larino were the second to last to test the course in the jump-off order, following the fastest round laid down by New Zealand’s Sharn Wordley and Sky Group’s Casper, which put the pressure on Blake for a quicker clear round.