Sweetnam Keeps Up Good Strike Rate at Spruce Meadows

Cork-born Shane Sweetnam maintained a high profile at the four-star show in Spruce Meadows, Canada when finishing third early this morning (Saturday) in the Duncan Ross Cup jump-off competition with Spy Coast Farm's Amaretto Darco.

Sweetnam and the stallion are regular members of Ireland's Nations' Cup teams in Europe, but he has now re-crossed the Atlantic to take part in one of Canada's premier events at the Rocky Mountain venue.

One of just six through to the jump-off this morning, the 31 year-old left all the poles standing in his final round but failed to match the speed of US winner Kent Farrington, who with his Dutch-bred gelding Voyeur stopped the clock just over a second faster than the Irishman. America's Reed Kessler took the runner-up spot with the Swedish-bred gelding Ligist.

Sweetnam also claimed a third place on Thursday in a speed class on board the stallion Cyklon, and took second with the mare Esquina Can Klapshut in a 1m40 competition on the same day.

On Friday he notched up a win in the jump-off class with Spy Coast Farm's mare Everlychin de la Pomme, and saw fellow Irish rider Richie Moloney and the Irish Sport Horse Slieveanorra take seventh place in the same competition.