IRISH riders were in superb form today (Sunday) at shows throughout Europe, scoring a host of top 10 placings in Grand Prix classes, adding to more prize winning results for Ireland in The United States on Saturday evening.

Cian O’Connor and Greg Broderick both featured among the prizes in the five-star Grand Prix at Knokke in Belgium.

O’Connor riding the stallion Good Luck and Broderick aboard The Irish Sport Horse MHS Going Global, both jumped faultless double clear rounds in a competition which saw a massive 19 combinations going forward to the second round jump-off. O’Connor’s time of 41.31 seconds saw him finish sixth overall, while Broderick was just over a second further back with MHS Going Global to finish eighth. Germany’s Daniel Deusser took the winners prize of brand new Porsche car when he stopped the clock clear in 39.32 seconds with Equita Van T Zorgvliet. Broderick began the day with a fifth place finish aboard Zuidam in a speed class at the Belgian venue.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was in action at the five-star Global Champions Tour show in Paris and scored a fourth place finish in a speed class with the stallion All Star 5. Flying Frenchman Roger Yves Bost took the winner’s trophy with Pegase du Murier.

At the three-star Dutch fixture in Arnhem, Mayo’s Cameron Hanley finished fourth in the Grand Prix with his new mount, Falco Van Spieveld, just behind local winner Michel Hendrix riding Baileys.

Another Mayo rider, Jack Dodd, finished seventh in the Italian Grand Prix at Selva Di al Gardena with Quarto Mail, while Co Clare’s David Blake also finished seventh in the $130,000 Adequan Grand Prix at Tryon in North Carolina USA.

Co Down’s Conor Swail continued his superb recent run of form in North America, with a runner-up finish in Saturday evening’s $375,000 Pan American Cup at Spruce Meadows in Canada with the 10-year-old stallion Grafton.

Irish riders began Sunday with Kilkenny’s Ivan Dalton scoring a victory in the two-star Grand Prix at Knokke riding Umano Des Dragons, collecting a new Mini Moke car as the winner’s prize.

Kildare-born Dressage rider Judy Reynolds continued her preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio, with a fourth place finish in the Grand Prix Special at the four-star show at Fritzens-Schindlhof in Austria.

In Eventing, Sam Watson won the three-star class at Kilguilkey House International Horse Trials in Co Cork with the Irish Sport Horse, Horseware Bushman, while Felicity Ward took the two-star class riding The Illusionist. Jennifer Keuhnle claimed the one-star competition with Scattery Katie.