SHANE Sweetnam won the opening three-star class at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, while Mayo’s Cormac Hanley finished third in the $137,000 Meijer Grand Prix at the venue.

Sweetnam, who has been named as the alternate rider on the Irish team for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, rode to victory in Thursday’s Welcome Stakes aboard the nine-year-old gelding Ideal, owned by Sweet Oak Farms and Seabrook LLC. The pair were the fastest of nine clear rounds in the competitive jump-off class, breaking the beams in 38.22 seconds to earn €10,800.