GALWAY show jumper Sven Hadley has picked up where he left off in 2021 and raced into the new year with a heap of top results at international level in Spain.

He won a total of four classes last week in Valencia, Spain – two at two-star level and two aboard young horses. His first victory came in Thursday’s one-star seven-year-old 1.30m when he guided his talented home-bred stallion HSH Harper Du Seigneur (Aganix du Seigneur Z x Chippison) to victory. The following day, he landed the five-year-old 1.10m with Matthew Peacock’s Irish Sport Horse mare Manorview Lady Jane 17 (Kroongraaf x Moot Point), who was competing at her first international show. She was bred by Mary McEvoy.

Hadley’s wins at two-star level both came aboard the 15-year-old mare Topspin. They won Thursday’s 1.30m Table A when clear in 58.99, almost two seconds faster than French runner-up Fabien Ruquin. In Saturday’s 1.30m two-phase, the pair were fastest of six double clears in 33.30 seconds to take victory. Hadley also finished seventh with the Padraig Howley-bred Uidam (Luidam x Cavalier Royale).

Tori Dunn is also competing at the venue and she landed three victories in the one-star division. She got off the mark in Thursday’s six-year-old 1.20m when guiding Hadley Sport Horses’ Irish Sport Horse mare Z Seven Amour (Z Seven Ascot x Caretino) to the winning time of 64.24 seconds, over four seconds faster than runner-up Natalie Lovarova of the Czech Republic. The pair then won the six-year-old class the following day, before Dunn lead the 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Sumas Taloubet (Taloubet VDL x Pride of Shaunlara), bred by Suma Stud, to victory in the one-star 1.30m.

Another Irish winner at the show was Nicolas Canavan who won Saturday’s one-star 1.20m aboard the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Clover Falcon, who was bred by Mary Horgan by Ringwood Harley Carol. From 15 starters, he was the best of 12 double clears in 28.10 seconds.