THE Irish dressage team finished in 18th position at the FEI World Championships in Aachen where the home nation took the team gold medal ahead of Britain in silver and Denmark in bronze on Wednesday afternoon.

Riding as team anchorman, James Connor led the Irish charge when he scored 68.276% for 50th place individually from the 91 starters for his ride with Vanotti. A veteran of several championships, Connor showed all his experience as he put in an excellent performance with his 13-year-old gelding. His score trended around the 70% mark for much of his test, until a small mistake in the two-time changes lowered the it slightly.