Stunning success for Tipperary showjumper Shane Breen in United Arab Emirates

Shane Sweetnam and Tipperary's Shane Breen bagged five-star showjumping wins in America and UAE in recent days as the form of the Irish contingent continues to give cause for excitement as the year really kicks into gear.

Cian O’Connor medalled in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup in Ocala; Conor Swail ended the North American swing on top of the table of qualifiers for the World Cup final; while Niamh McEvoy book-ended a landmark week with a top-five return from the lucrative Emirates Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile in Wellington, Bertram Allen won the three-star IDA Development Grand Prix for the fourth time, with Pacino Amiro (ISH), bred in Donegal by Patrick Scott.

Shane Breen prepared himself for his Longines League of Nations debut for Ireland with a stunning win on Scarteen at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

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The garlanded Tipperary man has done almost everything there is to do in the sport but to secure a win of this nature, as he contemplated his first outing in the LLON 24 hours later, it was a case of calming any nerves the 51-year-old might possess.

Breen showed all his class by steering Scarteen to the most definitive victory you will ever see in a speed competition, taking almost eight seconds off the leading time of local hero, Abdullah-Humaid Al Muhair (UAE) and his horse Chacolu (76.24), to finish top of an elite field of 42 with a clear in 68.56 seconds.

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To put the time into context, only eight of the contestants posted clear rounds, so it was clearly not an easy track. 

However, the Cashel native and the 13-year-old grey, owned and bred by Breen Equestrian Ltd, were different gravy and they just missed the podium by six-hundredths of a second the following day, finishing fourth with a time of 65.47 in a class was won by Romain Duguet (SUI), riding Bel Canto de Boguin.