EQUESTRIAN/News: Billy Twomey, one of the Irish show jumping quintet shortlisted for the Athens Olympics, picked off the Grand Prix at the French fixture in Maubege on Sunday night. Twomey, who had earlier steered Anastasia II to third in the speed stakes, had the best of a 10-horse jump-off to lift the Grand Prix honours with Whinnie Jackson by more than a quarter of a second from John Whitaker with Gem Of India.

Fellow Olympic hopeful Cian O'Connor just missed out on repeating the winning formula at the other French fixture in Fontainebleau, where he had to give best to the home side's Eric Navet. O'Connor and his Athens hope Waterford Crystal were left 3.5 seconds adrift of Navet, a double gold medallist at the 1990 world games.

The mini-Grand Prix did feature an Irish rider at the top of the line-up, however, with Marion Hughes claiming the honours on Galileo and O'Connor slotting ABC Landliebe into third.

And, over at the Italian fixture in Modena, Niall Talbot racked up a hatfull of placings, including victory in Saturday's speed class with Fancy Brown.

GRAND PRIX (Maubege, France): 1, Ireland's Whinnie Jackson (Billy Twomey), 0/0, 44.75 seconds; 2, Britain's Gem Of India (John Whitaker), 0/0, 45.18; 3, Britain's Coeur (John Renwick), 0/0, 45.85. Speed stakes: 1, France's Triumphe de Muze (David Jobertie); 2, Austria's Sylver II (Rob Raskin); 3, Ireland's Anastasia II (Billy Twomey).

GRAND PRIX (Fontainebleau, France): 1, France's Mr Acrobat (Eric Navet), 0/0, 45.86 seconds; 2, Ireland's Waterford Crystal (Cian O'Connor), 0/0, 49.27; 3, France's Herbe Verte (Christophe Grangier), 0/0, 55.00.

MINI-GRAND PRIX: 1, Ireland's Galileo (Marion Hughes), 0, 51.02 seconds; 2, France's Hygie du Golfe (Joelle Cairaschi Dagut), 0, 53.62; 3, Ireland's ABC Landliebe (Cian O'Connor), 0, 53.83.

SPEED STAKES (Modena, Italy): 1, Ireland's Fancy Brown (Niall Talbot), 52.37 seconds; 2, Holland's Libelle (Angelique Hoorn), 52.86; 3, Italy's S.M. Nearco (Guiseppe Rolli), 53.04.