Irish riders racked up an impressive series of wins and top placings across the globe with the top honours going to Tipperary’s Kevin Babington who won the €200,000 Grand Prix at HITS Thermal, California, with his top 11-year-old mare Shorapur.

In his first visit to the American venue, the Carrick-on-Suir rider racked up his third and biggest win there in the last two weeks, adding to earlier wins with Double O Seven in the Welcome Stakes and a top placing in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with Shorapur.

“It’s great out here. I’ll be coming out for a few weeks, and I’d like to show in the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix at Thermal (March 2017).

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“I’m a little tied up with some things on the East Coast, but I would love to come back for the entire [Coachella] Winter Circuit if I could,” said the Irish rider who earned $66,000 for his victory.

IRISH CLEAN UP

Wexford’s Bertram Allen (21) and the seven-year-old Christy Jnr emerged as the winners of the Youngster Cup while Allen also placed eighth in the Munich Grand Prix with Izzy By Picobello. The winner’s spoils went to Germany’s Maximilian Schmid aboard Chacon.

There were more Irish wins in Spain and Belgium.

Derry’s David Simpson won the two-star Suzuki Grand Prix in Oliva on the Elm Rock-owned 12-year-old mare Chessy 17. They were the fastest of four double clears to take the winner’s prize of €7,500.

It was a fitting culmination to a great four-week tour at the Spanish venue where he and wife Louise were constantly in the prizes. Set up three years ago, their new stable is fast coming into its own.

A delighted Simpson said: “Suddenly, we find ourselves with a great group of owners and an incredible bunch of horses – so things are good, but it’s down to good horses!

“The horses we have here, we all produced ourselves – either they have come to us as youngsters or from amateur riders.”

Kildare teenager Michael Pender (16) scored a win in the 1.40m two phase at Mijas, Spain, with HHS Hercules, while Carlow Cruiser (ISH) finished third with Britain’s Stephen Franks.

Mayo’s Jack Dodd (22) scored another win at the three-star Belgian fixture in Opglabbeek on Wrangler II in a 1.45m contest. Antrim’s Harry Marshall was best-placed of the Irish in the Opglabbeek Grand Prix, taking fifth place with Bordeaux behind Brazilian winner Marlon Modolo Zanotelli riding Sirene De La Motte.

At the Italian World Cup show in Verona, Tipperary’s Shane Breen finished fifth in the accumulator with Millfield Ultymate. A single fence down in the feature Longines World Cup competition denied Breen a place in the jump-off with Golden Hawk where they finished 15th place. Egyptian Abdel Said took the Verona World Cup winner’s prize of over €43,000 with Hope van Scherpen Donder.

In the Young Riders Academy Under 25 competition in Verona, Galway’s Michael Duffy scored a runner-up finish with ESI Hazel.