Billy Twomey with Diaghilev wins the small GP for Ireland

Press release Sunshine Tour –The Sunshine Tour XXII is coming to a conclusion and tomorrow are the three most important classes of the show.  These are the Invitational classes with the biggest being the GP where the best 60 riders from this year’s Tour will compete.

At 10:00 in the main ‘David Broome’ Arena, the day begins with the 1.40m Classic Tour Invitational Class.  At 12:00 the Invitational Ladies GP will be held in the ‘Milton’ Arena 5 and this is followed at 14:30 by the climax of the whole Sunshine Tour, the Invitational GP, also held in the main ‘David Broome’ Arena, with prize money of 100,000 euros.  This class is also a qualifier for the Olympic games to be held this year in Rio de Janeiro.

Today’s big result in the 1.45m Small GP was the win of the Irish rider Billy Twomey on his super horse Diaghilev.  Their jump off time of 36.63sec was extremely fast and  neat and many a good horse and rider took a pole trying to beat it.  The Spanish rider Eduardo Álvarez with Fidux got closest in 37.28sec with Yazmin Pinchen riding Unesca taking a well deserved 3rd place in 38.07sec.

In the 1.40m Big Tour B, British rider Matthew Sampson riding Dolanda was in the rosettes yet again, placing this horse highest in the Ranking points over the whole of the Tour.  He took 1st place, another British rider Joe Whitaker with Ximena was 2nd and Brazilian rider Luiz Francisco De Azevedo with Galouba Van’t Zorgvl was 3rd.

Matthew Sampson was also 1st in the 1.35m Big Tour A2, with Billy Tortilla, a horse he has had many placings on throughout the Tour.  Other British riders Mark Armstrong with Balougio III and Kerry Brennan with Dynamic III took 2nd and 3rd.

Alison Barton with Billy Anna was the winner of the Big Tour A1. 2nd was Shane Breen with Eclips and 3rd was Mark Armstrong with Balougio III.

In the Amateur classes, Irish rider Derek McCoppin with Chopard Van Overis was the winner of the 1.30m Classic Tour C.  His compatriot Paul Beecher with Danqu was 2nd and the British rider Kayleigh Watts 3rd.

In the Classic Tour B, the British rider Oliver Tuff with Cumana Van Pottelbe was the fastest and beat the Spanish rider Aurea Heras with Kers de Balwill into 2nd place and another British rider, Nancy Pinchen with Zodiac Z into 3rd.

The Belgian rider Elias Olsen with Thelma Du Landel was the winner of the Classic Tour A, with Lily Beveridge riding Wijnand and once again OliverTuff, this time on Cuchino Z taking 2nd and 3rd.

The Organising Committee here at the Tour would like to invite all equestrian fans to come and enjoy the very last day of this year’s Tour.  It will be an exciting day of sport with internacional elite riders competing on some of the very best horses in the world.  Parking is free and just in front of the showground.  For those that may not be able to attend you can follow all the action live on our web site where we have free Live Streaming. www.sunshinetour.net.

Source: Press Release Sunshine Tour