NEWS 2008
11/08/08
SHOW JUMPING - FOUR IRISH RIDERS IN TOP 100 WORLD RANK
THE latest Rolex FEI World Jumping Rankings show four Irish riders now in the top 100 for competitions completed by the end of July, 2008. Jessica Kurten, who was suspended for five weeks, has dropped from seventh place to eighth, while Denis Lynch, Ireland's Olympic representative in show jumping, moves up from 24th to 23rd place. Cameron Hanley now lies in 50th position, an improvement of two places from last month, while Cian O'Connor shows the biggest rankings change, up to 64th position from 89th, a jump of 25 places. Conor Swail (116), Shane Breen (122), Marion Hughes (143) Billy Twomey (146), Edward Doyle (176), and Gerry Flynn (183) all feature in the top 200.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/372
27/07/08
SHANE BREEN KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY (Pippa Cuckson at Hickstead)
AFTER being persuaded to end 59 years of tradition and open the Queen Elizabeth II Cup to men, Hickstead supremo Douglas Bunn was celebrating yesterday when son-in-law Shane Breen won the first running of this Royal International Horse Show classic as a unisex event.
The competition sprung to life when four of the final five jumped faultlessly, with Breen going on to execute a deft and economical jump-off clear on Carmena Z to make history. He was, however, more enthused about the Nations Cup potential of the eight-year-old stallion for 2009. "He never touched a fence as a five-year-old, and last year and this has probably only lowered five. He is one of those horses who wins when you ask him to you. I just point him at the fences and off he goes," he said.
Breen, who has already won at this meeting, and is originally from Co Tipperary, is married to Bunn's international show jumper daughter Chloe. He is based at Hickstead. "Before you ask, I do not get to practice in the main arena. I am not even allowed to walk on it," he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk
28/06/08
SHANE BREEN SETS HICKSTEAD SPEED DERBY RECORD (Kate Green, H&H reporter)
Shane Breen set a new speed record in a thrilling contest for Hickstead's Bunn Leisure Speed Derby, beating the record set in this competition in the 1980s by his compatriot John Ledingham on Castle Pollard.
Riding Dermot and Carmel Ryan's 10-year-old Royal Concorde, The Irishman clocked the smoothest clear in 91.96, beating Belgian Nick Motmans by a spectacular 8sec margin.
"I was 7sec faster than when I finished third last year, but it felt the same because the ground was so good and fast, and she was just floating," said Shane, who is the son-in-law of the master of Hickstead, Douglas Bunn.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk
22/06/08
SHOW JUMPING - SIMPSON SECOND IN NORWAY GRAND PRIX
IRELAND'S David Simpson was just a time fault away from forcing a jump-off in this afternoon's (Sunday) Grand Prix Of Norway at Drammen. On board the grey Cruising mare 'Cruise With Me', Simpson cleared all the Grand Prix fences faultlessly, but a time fault denied him a head-to-head jump-off with local favourite Tony Andre Hansen, who went one better on 'Camiro 19' with a fault-free round inside the allotted time. Norway's Oien Christian Anfinnsen was the only other rider to leave all fences standing, but, like Simpson, incurred one time fault and had to settle for third with a slower time.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/276
20/05/08
BREEDING - IRELAND THIRD IN 4* NATIONS CUP IN DENMARK
IRELAND finished in third place in the four star Nations Cup at Copenhagen, Denmark, on Friday. Two Irish Sport Horses featured on the team, Francis Connors (Irl) & Merlins Magic (ISH) and Neal Fearon (Irl)
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/
18/05/08
SHOW JUMPING - TALBOT TAKES COPENHAGEN GRAND PRIX
NIALL Talbot, who rode Ireland's only double-clear round in Friday's Danish Nations' Cup, brought out Isabel Balitzer's 14 year-old chestnut mare 'Tequi d'I CH' again this afternoon (Sunday) to claim victory and a 10,000 euro paycheck in the Copenhagen Grand Prix. The 37 year-old Swiss-based rider rode two more faultless rounds in today's three-star competition and was just under half a second faster than British runner-up Carl Curtis in the final round. Kildare-born Talbot also won this morning's two-phase competition at the Danish venue with 'Onisha'. Tipperary's Shane Breen took sixth place in today's Grand Prix with 'Little Ear' with a double clear, while Waterford-born Francis Connors completed the Irish top ten trio with a ninth place on 'Merlin's Magic'.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/
16/05/08
SHOW JUMPING - IRELAND THIRD IN DANISH NATIONS' CUP
A FOOT-PERFECT double clear round from Kildare-born Niall Talbot set Ireland up for a third place in today's (Friday) non-Super League Nations' Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 37 year-old Swiss-based rider and Isabel Balitzer's 14 year-old chestnut stallion 'Tequi d'I CH' were third to jump, and their zero score provided a bedrock for the rest of the Irish team. Francis Connors kicked off Ireland's Danish campaign with a disappointing 16 faults on 'Merlin's Magic', but next in, Neal Fearon, had just one fence down on the Irish-bred 'Teulada', which when coupled with Talbot's zero and a single time fault from British-based Shane Breen and 'Little Ear' left Ireland in runner-up position to Denmark at the halfway stage. A tussle for the top spots in the second round saw the Irish team fade slightly with eight faults from Fearon and nine from Breen, but another clear round from Talbot allowed only the Netherlands and Denmark to nudge ahead at the finish.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/
13/05/08
SHOW JUMPING - HORSE SPORT IRELAND ANNOUNCES TEAMS FOR NATIONS CUPS IN MADRID AND COPENHAGEN
HORSE Sport Ireland's Senior Show Jumping Team Manager Robert Splaine has named his teams for this weekend's Nations Cups in Madrid and Copenhagen. Neither of these shows are part of the Super League and Splaine has taken the opportunity to employ his back up horses. The Madrid team contains two riders, Cameron Hanley and Marion Hughes, who were named on the Super League squad for the first three rounds but did not feature in La Baule. These are joined by Cian O'Connor who rode 'Irish Independent Echo Beach' in La Baule but will ride 'Complete' or his new horse 'Rancorrado' and by Captain David O'Brien with 'Mo Chroi' or 'Kiltoom'. The Copenhagen team has a more developmental structure with Shane Breen and 'Little Ear' joining Francis Connors and 'Merlins Magic', Neil Fearon and 'Teulada', and Niall Talbot and 'Tequi d'I CH'.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/
08/04/08
BREEDING - IRISH SPORT HORSES EXCEL AT BIRMINGHAM
IRISH Sport Horses were in the prize money at the CSI 4* in Birmingham. In the British Open Championship World Cruise (ISH) and Shane Breen (Irl) took fourth place. In the same class, John Whitaker (Gbr) rode Casino (ISH) into fifth place while Di Lampard (Gbr) and Master Cruise (ISH), who is a full brother to World Cruise (ISH), finished in tenth place.
Birmingham (Gbr) CSI**** - 3rd to 6th April 2008
British Open Showjumping Championship Final 1m60:
4th World Cruise (ISH) – 1995 grey gelding by Cruising (ISH) out of Curragh Queen (ISH), by Clover Hill (RID). Bred by Waterside Stud, Balrath, Navan, Co. Meath. Owner: Sandra Duffy. Rider: Shane Breen (Irl)
06/04/08
SHOW JUMPING - BREEN FOURTH IN BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Tipperary-born Shane Breen was best of the Irish in this evening's final of the British Open Show Jumping Championship, with a fourth place on Sandra Duffy's grey Meath-bred Cruising gelding 'World Cruise'. The competition final was run under special rules which added championship penalties from the first three qualifiers at Birmingham, and the 33 year-old Irish rider jumped clear in the second round, thereby not adding to his accumulated 11.50 penalty points. However, Britain's Robert Whitaker started the day with a zero penalty score, and one fence down in the second round with 'Lacroix' was not enough to prevent him taking the 30,000 euro winner's prize. Two other members of the Whitaker family, Michael and William, accounted for second and third places. Ireland's Jessica Kurten recorded a tenth place with Lady Georgina Forbes's 'Castle Forbes Vivaldo' on a total penalty score of 18.50.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news/139
03/04/08
SHOW JUMPING - BREEN THIRD, TWOMEY FIFTH IN ENGLISH SPEED CLASS
There was a strong Irish showing in the first round of the British Open Championship in Birmingham tonight (Thursday) with Tipperary's Shane Breen slotting Sandra Duffy's Meath-bred gelding 'World Cruise' into third place, while Cork-born Billy Twomey placed fifth on Sue Davies's eight year-old grey stallion 'Pikap'.
Tonight's speed class, which was won by Britain's Robert Whitaker, is the initial competition in the four-star championship, which reaches its climax on Sunday afternoon in the British Open Final, a two-round 1m60 contest.
http://www.horsesportireland.ie/news
01/04/08
BREEDING - WORLD CRUISE (ISH) NINTH IN 1M60 CLASS AT 'S HERTOGENBOSCH
World Cruise (ISH) and Shane Breen finished in ninth place in the prestigious Hasten Prijs 1m60 class at ‘S Hertogenbosch over the weekend. On the eventing circuit at Burnham Market, the CIC*** W saw Mary King (Gbr) and Call Again Cavalier (ISH) finish second, with Captain Geoff Curran (Irl) and Kilkishen (ISH) the best of the Irish in tenth.
29/03/08
SHOW JUMPING - KURTEN FOURTH, BREEN NINTH IN DUTCH JUMP-OFF
In a 17-horse jump off that yielded eight double clear rounds, Antrim-born Jessica Kurten was the best of the Irish with a fourth place on Lady Georgina Forbes's mare 'Castle Forbes Libertina' in the four-star World Cup show in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands tonight (Saturday).
Despite her double clear round, the 38 year-old German-based rider was just over a second off the pace of Swiss winner Daniel Etter in a tightly-fought finish.
Tipperary's Shane Breen took a ninth place after clocking up three time faults in the final round with Sandra Duffy's grey gelding 'World Cruise'.
28/03/08
SHOW JUMPING - COME AND SUPPORT THE IRISH TEAM IN LA BAULE
HORSE SPORT IRELAND organises a trip to support the Irish Team in the first Samsung Super League show, in La Baule (France), from 8th to 12th of May 2008.
For further information, click here.
Breen Equestrian Limited is sponsored by:
