Two Seconds For Ireland At Amsterdam

Cameron Hanley and Bertram Allen racked up two second places for Ireland at Amsterdam's big four-star show in the Netherlands today (Friday), while in Zurich, Switzerland, Denis Lynch had a top ten finish in the Longines Grand Prix.

Fast-rising Wexford teenager Allen took the first runner-up spot in the opening competition at the Dutch RAI arena with the bay mare Wild Thing L, which is jointly owned by Ballywalter Farms and Billy Twomey. The 18 year-old lost out to local star Robert Vos and the 14 year-old gelding Carat by just three quarters of a second. Mayo's Cameron Hanley finished sixth in the same competition, piloting the mare Caretina De Joter.

Later in the evening the roles were reversed when Hanley claimed second place in the two-phase competition on Yves Bouvier and Eleonore Paschoud's gelding Newton Du Haut Bois, with another local rider, Wesley Haydens, taking the winner's trophy on the French-bred Riadloc Fly Ly. In this competition, Allen placed eighth on Billy Twomey's Romanov.

At Zurich's World Cup show, meanwhile, Tipperary's Denis Lynch and All Inclusive NRW were the only Irish combination in the Longines Grand Prix to break through to the 12-horse jump off from a starting field of 38, but a single fence down in the final round left them in seventh overall, but 2,500 euro richer. The Grand Prix was won by Switzerland's Pius Schwizer and Picsou du Chene.

On Wednesday night, Cork's Shane Sweetnam won the opening speed class at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida with the Swedish stallion Cyklon.