Joanne Fox

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Ireland’s European pony champion Susan Fitzpatrick continued to dominate the international stage this week as she recorded another victory, this time at Enschede in the Netherlands. The 14-year-old Kilkenny rider took her latest victory in the Pony Grand Prix. Fitzpatrick, who was piloting Barbara O’Reilly-Hyland’s 11-year-old gelding Rock Dee Jay, the same pony on which she won the European Championships last July, went clear in the jump-off and outpaced British challenger Charlie Dawson and Maradonna.

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The 14-year-old rider was also on the Irish pony team at the international pony show at Neeroeteren in Belgium two weeks ago where, they won the pony Nations Cup.

Another Irish rider, Mike Pender, also recorded a double-clear round and took 10th place in the Grand Prix with Lorraine Mooney’s Sandlings Surreal.

Fitzpatrick and Pender were two of the Irish riders who took second place in the Enschede team competition the day before. They were joined by Katie Raeburn and Lucy Allen. Pender also enjoyed a victory in Thursday’s Speed competition riding Lorraine Mooney’s Irish Sport Horse mare Dressed To Thrill. Earlier in the show, Fitzpatrick took a third in a Two-Phase with Ghost Rider.