Trevor Breen Denies Brother Shane to Win Al Shira’aa CSI3* Grand Prix at Bolesworth
Trevor Breen produced a dramatic last-to-go performance to claim victory in the Al Shira’aa CSI3* Grand Prix at Bolesworth International, denying brother Shane Breen in a thrilling conclusion to the feature class of the opening week.
Forty-one combinations representing six nations came forward for the 1.55m Grand Prix, with Olympians, championship medallists and established Grand Prix winners all bidding for one of the most prestigious titles of the show.
Designed by Ireland’s Colm Quinn, the course proved a demanding test throughout the opening round. The influential Al Shira’aa triple combination and the five-stride distance to the final line challenged many of the leading combinations, with only nine progressing to the jump-off.
Joe Whitaker and Hulahupe JR became the first combination to produce a clear round, followed by Jodie Hall McAteer with Sunday, Sterling Malnik aboard Idalgo, Billy Twomey riding Ace of Hearts Z, Shane Breen with Scarteen, Oliver Tuff aboard Sacino, Graham Babes riding Monks I Am Casall, UAE Olympian Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi with Al Shira’aa Farms’ Cjoxx Z, and Trevor Breen aboard Highland President.
First to return, Joe Whitaker set an early benchmark before finishing on four faults. Jodie Hall McAteer, Sterling Malnik, Billy Twomey, Oliver Tuff, Graham Babes and Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi also completed the jump-off on four faults.
Shane Breen then produced the only clear round of the jump-off to stop the clock in 39.12 seconds and looked set to reclaim the title he had previously won at Bolesworth.
However, with one combination still to come, Trevor Breen and Highland President delivered a faultless round in 38.86 seconds to take victory.
“This was actually Highland President’s first international Grand Prix,” explained Breen.
“He’s jumped so many clears for Ireland in Nations Cups that nobody was probably trembling in their boots because I was last to go today. Joe was very quick but had one down, so everyone was chasing the time. Today it just worked out to my advantage.”
The victory carried added significance for the Breen family, with Highland President campaigned with the support of Trevor’s wife Caroline and her family.
Reflecting on the win, Breen added:
“I’d like to thank Nina and the whole Bolesworth team, and of course Al Shira’aa for their incredible support. The prize money over these two weeks is fantastic and it’s a real pleasure to compete at a show like this in such an incredible venue here in the UK. I’m really proud to have won this Grand Prix.”
Bolesworth Managing Director Nina Barbour praised both the standard of competition and the continued partnership with title sponsor Al Shira’aa.
“What a fantastic Grand Prix and huge congratulations to Trevor on a brilliant victory. This is now the eighteenth international Grand Prix we’ve hosted at Bolesworth and, once again, the standard of competition has been exceptional.”
“One of the things that makes our partnership with Al Shira’aa so special is that it creates a genuine pathway for top-level international sport. It’s no coincidence that today’s top three riders are all regular competitors on the Al Shira’aa Tour in Abu Dhabi, demonstrating the strength and quality of the circuit and the opportunities it provides for riders to compete at World Class level.
“We share the same commitment to putting horse welfare at the heart of everything we do. That shared philosophy, alongside a passion for sporting excellence, is what makes this partnership such a natural fit.
“None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of Al Shira’aa. Their continued investment is helping develop equestrian excellence internationally while supporting the long-term growth of this event year after year. On behalf of everyone at Bolesworth, I’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the entire Al Shira’aa team for their continued belief, vision and partnership.”
The opening week of the Al Shira’aa Bolesworth International concludes on Monday with the CSIYH1* age class finals, Amateur and Under 25 championships, and the final CSI3* 1.45m Longines Ranking class before the event moves into its second week of CSI4* international competition.
