THE Spanish Sunshine Tour in Vejer De La Frontera saw another winning weekend for the Irish, the most significant of these being in Sunday’s 1.50m Medium Tour Grand Prix, when Kildare’s Mikey Pender had a win with the Irish Sport Horse, HHS Cornetta (Cornet Obolensky (BWP) x HHS Acorado (ISH) x Acorado (HOLST)), bred by Marion Hughes.

From the large start list of 69, 19 combinations proceeded to the jump-off, which saw Pender jump clear in a time of 37.15 seconds to secure first place.

Irish-bred horses also shone over the weekend, where they filled two of the top three places in Saturday’s 1.45m two-phase class. Cornet Clover Girl (ISH), an eight-year-old mare, bred in Co Tipperary by Seamus Carew, and owned and ridden by Ireland’s Sean Monaghan, finished as runners-up in the class. This mare is by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of Hermes Clover (ISH), by Hermes De Reve (SF).

Ballingowan Leia (ISH), bred in Co Limerick by Ann O’Grady and ridden by Charlie Atkinson (GBR), took third place on the podium. This 11-year-old mare is by Future Trend (OLD) out of Ballingowan Boula [ISH] by Master Imp (TB).

Irish one-two

Friday’s Medium Tour 1.45m class saw Sligo’s Richard Howley claim victory with the nine-year-old stallion Pandito van’t Merelsnest Z, with Kilkenny’s Jack Ryan in second with the 10-year-old mare Sympathie 60.

Meanwhile, in the day’s feature 1.50m speed class, Pender rode HHS Fortune (ISH), bred by Marion Hughes, into runner-up spot, behind winner Sanne Thijssen (NED) and Con Quidam RB.

HHS Fortune (ISH) is a 13-year-old mare by Catoki (HOLST) out of HHS Daisy (ISH) by ARD VDL Douglas (KWPN).

Richard Howley and Pandito van't Merelsnest won a four-star 1.45m class at Vejer De La Frontera \ Moisés Basallote

Placings

Shane O’Reilly on BWE Vain Hero placed fourth in Tuesday morning’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class, while Jonathan Smyth rode MHB Magnum Splendor into fourth in the day’s Six-year-old 1.15m class. Monaghan won the afternoon Seven-year-old 1.30m class with Tiberio Della Caccia. There were a number of Irish joint winners in the two Five-year-old 1.05m classes.

Wednesday saw Sophie Dalm on Catharina Z take third in the morning’s Five-year-old 1.10m class, while Max O’Reilly Hyland and Netflix VK were runners-up in the Six-year-old 1.20m class. Jodie Creighton on Ballypatrick Hero placed fifth in the afternoon’s Six-year-old 1.20m class and O’Reilly won the afternoon’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class on BWE Vain Hero.

On Thursday, Coen Williams and Dominante Z were third in the morning’s Seven-year-old 1.30m class, while Smyth and Deloughtane Matoaka had a win in the Medium Tour 1.40m class. Williams rode Bouvardia Van Twelve Oaks Z into fifth place in the Six-year-old 1.20m class.

Niamh McEvoy on Hybernia placed fifth in Friday’s Big Tour 1.45m class; Tomas Doyle on Monbeg Sunny Spells was third in the 1.20m class. Meanwhile, Jessica Burke had a win with Inpulss in the Medium Tour 1.40m class and the 1.10m class saw Niamh Devlin place second with Fernhill Clooney and fourth with Captain Marko; Matilde Hughes Bravo separated them in third with Miss Belgium III.

Saturday’s 1.20m class saw third placings going to both Matilde Hughes Bravo on Miss Belgium III and Caroline Gaston on Miss Roman Kora, while Doyle and Monbeg Sunny Spells finished second in the 1.30m class. Burke and African Affair placed fifth in the 1.45m Small Grand Prix, with Smyth on MB Sandro Star fifth in the Medium Tour 1.30m class.

Sunday’s Big Tour 1.45m class saw three Irish in the top five, namely Burke on Inpulss in second; Smyth on Mulvin Lights Out in fourth and McEvoy on Hybernia in fifth. The Medium Tour 1.40m class saw another win for Pender, this time with Highcross Violet, while O’Reilly on Lancer Luck placed fifth in the 1.45m Small Tour Grand Prix. Smyth and MB Sandro Star came third in the Medium Tour 1.30m class, with Devlin on Fernhill Clooney third in the 1.10m class.

Herning

Meanwhile, in Herning, Denmark, Diarmuid Howley has been in great form, winning a CSI3* Big Tour 1.45m class with Be Aperle VA on March 7th. Howley followed that up with top 10 placings with two of his other mounts, finishing seventh in the Big Tour 1.50m class with Uriga VA and ninth in a Table A 1.40m class with Absolute Du Mio on March 8th and 9th respectively, before taking the runner-up spot in the Medium Tour 1.45m final with Absolute Du Mio on March 10th.