Co Down's Conor Swail finished second in Saturday evening's $375,000 Pan American Cup at Spruce Meadows in Canada.
Over a 1.60m track designed by Ireland's Alan Wade, seven combinations made it through to the jump-off round where the fastest of five clears was recorded by America's World No 6 rider Kent Farrington who won the trophy for the third consecutive year, this time with the Belgian Warmblood mare Gazelle (35.78).
Riding Susan and Ariel Grange's 10-year-old Selle Francais stallion Grafton and last to jump against the clock, Swail was home clear in 36.17 with the USA's Andrew Ramsay finishing in third place on California 62 (37.59). Ballyclare-based Egyptian rider Sameh El Dahan had a pole down in the timed round to place fifth on Joanne Sloan Allen's Irish Sport Horse mare Sumas Zorro.
At home, Alexander Butler won Saturday's leg of the Horseware/TRM premier series Grand Prix at Omagh having recorded the only double clear on the Ladycastle Syndicate's 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Vimminka.
Riding borrowed horses, Irish riders won a team and two individual silver medals at the 11th World University Equestrian Championships which concluded on Saturday in Flyinge, one of the world's oldest stud farms, in the Skåne region of Sweden.
UUJ's Tori Dixon, UCD's Ian Cassells and Kelley Hutchinson of UUIM finished second in the combined team event on a total of 83.64 points, behind the host nation Sweden (87.52) with Japan in third (82.73). Cassells, who was recently awarded a George Mernagh training bursary, took silver in dressage while Hutchinson won individual silver in the combined competition.
International eventing continues today in Kilguilkey House near Mallow, Co Cork with the cross-country phase for all three classes over courses designed by Britain's Mike Etherington-Smith and constructed by landowner Danny Dulohery.
Following dressage and show jumping, Co Carlow's Sam Watson leads the Haygain CIC3* class on Horseware Bushman, Co Cork's Michael Ryan tops the leaderboard in the Eventing Ireland CIC2* on Ballylynch Adventure while young Jennifer Kuehnle from Co Laoos is in front in the Horsezone.co.uk CIC1* with the pony Penyffynon Ricochet.
