Cork’s Billy Twomey on course for World Cup success

Billy kicked of his campaign to qualify for the World Cup Final in Leipzig next spring in great style with a 5th place in the World Cup Qualifier in Verona with Sue and Edd Davies’s lovely mare Tinka’s Serenade, who has been on cracking form of late, including being 11th at the World Equestrian Games in October.

To continue his run of good form, Billy rounded off a successful weekend at Stuttgart’s five-star show in Germany on Sunday with a third place in the World Cup Qualifier, his best series result this season, riding Tinka’s Serenade.

The 33 year-old was one of 13 through to the jump-off from a starting field of 40, and was narrowly beaten, finishing just under a third of a second behind the eventual German winner Carsten-Otto Nagel and the 12 year-old grey Corrado mare ‘Corradina’.

The Irish rider collected 23,000 euro for his place at Stuttgart, together with 15 World Cup points, which will bump him up the leader board from his current 23rd position and help put him in the frame for his first World Cup Final in Leipzig next Spring.

Billy also chalked up a third place in Saturday night’s Six-Bar competition at the German venue, as well as a fourth in Saturday’s huge jump-off (Je Taime Flamenco) and a fifth place in Thursday’s opening speed class.

Billy’s current run of good form moves him up to be ranked 9th of the worlds leading show jumpers on the FEI Rolex World Ranking list.