THE final day of the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ five-star fixture in Canada, saw Ireland’s Paul O’Shea and Britain’s Matthew Sampson share victory in the Friends of the Meadows Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, after both riders finished on the same time.

Seven combinations made it into the jump off, with O’Shea riding his 2022 ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Grand Prix-winning mount, Imerald Van’t Voorhof. The Limerick-born rider laid down the quick clear with a time of 38.00 seconds, with Sampson and the grey mare Ebolensky crossing the line clear on exactly the same time.

In the earlier Friends of the Meadows two-star Grand Prix, Matthew Sampson scored another win with the Irish Sport Horse Curraghgraigue OBOS Flight.

Jordan Coyle and Centriko Volo, winners of the $100,000 HITS Grand Prix at Saugerties, New York \ HITS

Win for Jordan Coyle

There was another Irish winner on Sunday at Saugerties in New York, USA, with Derry’s Jordan Coyle taking victory in the $100,000 HITS Grand Prix. Riding Centriko Volo, Coyle came out on top after a seven-horse jump-off.

Coyle has been riding Centriko Volo for four years and is just stepping the 10-year-old gelding up to five-star level.

“I actually just took him over to the Dublin Horse Show a few weeks ago and he was very good there,” noted Coyle after his win. “He jumped the Grand Prix over there, and it was one of the biggest Grands Prix I’ve ever jumped and for sure the biggest Grand Prix he has ever jumped!”

Breeding details

Curraghgraigue OBOS Flight (ISH) – 2012 gelding by OBOS Quality 004 (OLD) out of Curraghgraigue Errigal (ISH)[TIH] by Errigal Flight (ISHI)[TIH]. Breeder: Baden Powell, Co. Tipperary. Owner: Rachael Evison & Matthew Sampson. Rider: Matthew Sampson (GBR).