Twomey scoops Birmingham Grand Prix

Irish Billy Twomey set the seal on his successful weekend at the Horse Of The Year Show (HOYS) in Birmingham, England tonight (Sunday) with a spectacular win in the show's Grand Prix, which netted him 9,500 euro in prize money.

After two wins earlier in the week at Birmingham, the 31 year-old Cork-born rider has been featuring in the top ten on three horses, one of which carried him to victory tonight – his own eight year-old stallion 'Je t'Aime Flamenco'.

Twomey came back into form at Birmingham with his first major international wins since suffering injury in April of this year, but had to withstand serious pressure from the top British riders tonight, six of whom finished in the Grand Prix's top ten.

Six combinations made it through to the jump-off, but only three double clear rounds were recorded, with Twomey breaking the beam just a fifth of a second faster than British challenger Michael Whitaker.