First senior win for Twomey

Genevieve Murphy
Friday 11 August 2000 00:00 BST
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Billy Twomey, who has been based in England as a stable-jockey to Michael Whitaker for the past four years, achieved his first victory in a senior international contest yesterday when he rode the stallion Conquest II to win the Kerrygold Classic.

Billy Twomey, who has been based in England as a stable-jockey to Michael Whitaker for the past four years, achieved his first victory in a senior international contest yesterday when he rode the stallion Conquest II to win the Kerrygold Classic.

In the process the 23-year-old Irishman defeated Britain's Nick Skelton on Showtime by just 0.55 seconds. According to Skelton, 15-year-old Showtime is "jumping better than when I took her to the Atlanta Olympics four years ago", and it was hard to argue with that assessment yesterday.

Showtime zipped round by the most economical route, leaving most of Skelton's opponents to chase the time in vain. Whitaker, who gives Twomey plenty of help, said that his stable-jockey rode brilliantly when achieving a faster time.

Whitaker will be last to go for Britain when he rides this stallion in today's Nations Cup between seven countries. Robert Smith has been chosen to go first on Caloubet du Rouet, followed by Rob Hoekstra on Lionel II and Lynne Bevan on Jerome III.

Marilyn Little, an 18-year-old American rider who is here as part of the US Developing Rider Tour, won her first contest in Europe when winning the earlier Kerrygold International Accumulator on Pico de Gallo.

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