Source:  News Release/Colin McClelland

TWOMEY MOVES TO TOP OF OLYMPIC QUALIFIER RANKINGS AFTER LEIPZIG RESULT

KURTEN RETURNS TO FORM WITH AMSTERDAM GRAND PRIX WIN

 BILLY Twomey further boosted Ireland's chances of securing two individual slots at this year's Olympic Games in London with a fourth place in yesterday's World Cup Qualifier at Leipzig in Germany aboard Sue Davies's mare Tinka's Serenade.

The last published Olympic rankings, which took account of results up to December 31st 2011, saw Twomey in the third of Europe's three qualifying slots with Ireland's Denis Lynch leading the rankings.

However, following his fourth place in last week's Grand Prix in Basel, Switzerland, his second place in the ranking class in Leipzig on Friday and today's Grand Prix result, Twomey has now moved to the top of the unconfirmed European Olympic rankings. Denis Lynch is still in the second of Europe's qualifying slots with the cut off date of March 1st just over one month away.

Both riders and their main rivals for the available slots move on to the World Cup show in Zurich next weekend.

Cork-born Twomey collected 15,000 euro for his place today, with the winner's purse of 37,500 euro going to Germany's Christian Ahlmann and Taloubet Z, who were the fastest of the five double clear rounds at Leipzig.

Twomey also moved up 20 places to 19th in the World Cup rankings after his fourth place finish this afternoon, with Sweden's Rolf-Goran Bengtsson top of the leaderboard, and Ireland's Denis Lynch in second.

IRELAND'S Jessica Kurten celebrated her first major Grand Prix win in over a year with a 24,750 euro cheque at Amsterdam's four-star show in the Netherlands Sunday afternoon.

The Antrim-born rider, aboard Stal Poels and James Paterson Robinson's ten year-old gelding Vincente, saw off fierce competition in the nine horse jump-off and at the final bell was three-hundredths of a second faster than her closest challenger, Dutch World Equestrian Games gold medallist Gerco Schroder and the grey mare Eurocommerce California.

Afterwards Kurten said: "Vincente has been improving in recent months and he just gets better and better. It was a very fast jump-off and I decided to take more of a risk at the second last jump than the other riders, and it paid off. I'm really delighted."

Forty five riders competed in the Rolex World Ranking class.

Kurten's last senior Grand Prix win before Amsterdam was in December, 2010 at Mechelen, Belgium in the World Cup class, riding Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois.

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