IRELAND finished on the podium as the 2025 Longines EEF Nations Cup Series kicked off at Lier in Belgium last Friday, with 12 teams lining up to take on the challenge. Michael Blake’s team consisted of Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy with the Ennisnag Stud-bred ESI Rocky (ISH) (Stakkato Gold x Clonaslea, by For Pleasure), Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy with Jargon DN, Clare’s Eoin McMahon with Cornest and Cork’s Billy Twomey with Jumping Jack van de Kaleva.

Twomey was first in for Ireland and jumped a clear round with Jumping Jack van de Kaleva to get the team off to a great start. McEvoy was second to go with Jargon DN and they picked up four faults. Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky (ISH) were next up and also incurred four faults, but anchorman McMahon and Cornest rode a super clear round as last to go, to keep Ireland on a score of four faults at the end of round one.