FRESH from helping Ireland secure Olympic qualification at the FEI Jumping World Championships in Aachen, Shane Sweetnam was back to winning ways in the USA last weekend. He raced to victory in Saturday’s $62,500 jump-off class at the five-star Hampton Classic in New York.

The world number three was the best of just three double clears in the competitive 12-horse jump-off, blazing to the top of the leaderboard in 42.88 seconds aboard Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z, the 10-year-old gelding by Comme Il Faut who, owned by Sweetnam and Voquest LLC, jumped clear for Ireland in the Aga Khan Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show last month.