Shane Sweetnam.
Congratulations to showjumper Shane Sweetnam from Castlemagner who has been chosen to compete in the Rolex IJRC Top Ten Final 2023, which will be held on December 8th in Geneva, Switzerland. It is a dream come true for Shane and his horse ‘James Kann Cruz’. Shane is the only Irish rider in the top 10 list.
A highlight in the equestrian calendar, the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final brings together the 10 best showjumpers in the world, whose contestants qualify on merit from the rankings list. Created in 2001 by the International Jumping Riders Club, the class recognises and celebrates the achievements and talents of the world’s best showjumpers over the preceding year.
To add to that, Shane and ‘James Kann Cruz’ had a big victory last weekend in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Grand Prix, which was held in Lexington, Kentucky. It was a first-ever World Cup win for Sweetnam and came following an 11-horse jump-off. The prize for taking top prize was a sweet €69,500.