IRISH Olympian Anna Merveldt and the 13-year-old Lusitano stallion Esporim scored 69.58% to place seventh in the Grand Prix at the four-star show in Fritzens-Schindlhof, Austria, last Friday. Germany’s Dorothee Schneider and First Romance 2 won the class on a score of 75.41%.

Co Down’s Abigail Lyle placed sixth with the 11-year-old Rosseau gelding Giraldo in the Grand Prix at the three-star Grand Prix in Hartpury, Britain on a score of 69.45%. Ireland’s Alex Baker and Dutchman came in with a score of 66.84% for 12th place with Lyle slotting into 13th place with Farrell on 66.34%. Britain’s Fiona Bigwood and Daytona Platimum’s won on a score of 71.30%.

All three riders, along with Irish-based Sorrell Klatzko, were selected by chef d’equipe Johann Hinnemann to represent Ireland at next month’s FEI Dressage World Championships in Herning.

International debut for Harnett

Amsterdam-based Irish rider Jennifer Harnett made an impressive international debut at the three-star show in Meerle, Belgium last weekend with a top-10 finish in the Grand Prix with her 13-year-old Lusitano stallion Eximio. Harnett scored 67.93% for ninth place.

She has now achieved the first of two FEI qualifying scores required for the 2023 FEI Dressage European Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany. The pair then placed fifth in the Meerle CDI3* Grand Prix Special on 67.42%, won by French Olympian Morgan Barbançon and Habana Libre A on a score of 70.23%.

At the same venue, reigning Irish national champion Dane Rawlins placed 15th in the Freestyle with Espoire on a 66.65% total. The class was won by The Netherlands’ former FEI World Cup winner Adelinde Cornelissen with Aqiedo on 72.000%.

Harnett has had Eximio since she imported him as a five-year-old from Portugal and they have been competing at Grand Prix level since last October. Reflecting on her debut, she said: “My father is from Kerry, near Listowel, so I’ve always had the Irish nationality as my only nationality.

“I lived in Galway for two years in my 20s and am very proud to be riding for Ireland! I am trained by Inge van der Schaft, the wife of the Finnish Grand Prix team trainer Rien van der Schaft and I have other Lusitano-bred horses that I’m training for the sport.”

Murphy hat-trick in Hartpury

Irish para dressage riders have enjoyed a superb run of results this week at Hartpury in the UK, not least Michael Murphy who claimed a hat-trick of victories and was named the overall Individual Champion of the Show. Michael’s three wins came aboard Cleverboy while he also took runner-up spot in two classes on his second horse Dark Diamond.

The Irish team of Michael Murphy, Kate Kerr-Horan, Helen Kearney and Tamsin Addison finished second in the team competition behind winners Great Britain.

Kate Kerr-Horan and Serafina T recorded three second place finishes, while there was also a fifth place finish for Tamsin Addison and Fahrenheit. Helen Kearney was competing at her first international since the Olympic Games in Rio and had a seventh place finish with Tjornelys Zensation.