Press release from European Equestrian Federation, edited by World of Showjumping

Ireland celebrated their first senior Nations Cup victory of 2026 with a superb performance in the opening Region South qualifier of the Longines EEF Series at Scuderia La Caccia in Bedizzole, Italy, emerging victorious after a dramatic jump-off against the host nation.

The Irish quartet of Niall Talbot on Charming Dream Z (Carrera VDL x Cagliostro), Harry Allen riding Edison de Hus (HH Conrad x Baloubet du Rouet), Seamus Hughes Kennedy with MHS Cosmo (Plot Blue x Cardento) and Mark McAuley aboard the nine-year-old stallion Rossi VD Heffinck (Diamant de Semilly x Contact van de Heffinck) combined brilliantly to secure victory ahead of Italy in second place and Switzerland in third.

The result marked an important breakthrough for the Irish team, delivering their first victory of the international season and continuing the momentum of an increasingly competitive 2026 Longines EEF Series campaign following earlier wins for Germany in Mannheim and Belgium in Lier.

Thirteen nations lined up for the first Region South qualifier in Bedizzole, including Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine, with the stunning Scuderia La Caccia venue providing a spectacular backdrop near the shores of Lake Garda.

The competition quickly developed into a battle between some of Europe’s strongest Nations Cup teams. Switzerland and Italy shared the lead after the opening round on a flawless score of zero, while Ireland remained firmly in contention heading into a pressure-filled second round.

Mark McAuley produced a crucial clear round aboard Rossi VD Heffinck to keep Ireland’s hopes alive before Italy answered immediately with another immaculate performance to force a jump-off in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Ireland turned to Harry Allen and Edison de Hus for the deciding round- and the talented combination delivered emphatically. Having already jumped double clear during the Nations Cup competition, Allen produced a third flawless round of the day with remarkable composure and speed to secure the win. Italy’s hopes faded when Piergiorgio Bucci lowered an early rail in the jump-off, confirming Ireland’s triumph.

Chef d’equipe Jessica Kürten praised the Irish riders and horses following an outstanding collective performance. “I’m very proud of them. This is a really great, great team of riders and horses and I was delighted to be able to put this team together to come here to Bedizzole,” said Kürten.

“Niall has had a fantastic start of the year. He's had some great successes. Charming Dream was already in Mannheim and then grew from that to come here to jump a double clear. That's exceptional."

“Mark McAuley has been really growing with the team and Rossi is a really talented horse that has been doing some exceptional results this year. So it was also time for him now to come on the team. Their performance today was absolutely fantastic."

“Talking about Harry, Edison is an exceptional and talented horse. He's quite special. Harry has formed a really great relationship with him and it's wonderful to see what they can achieve in the course. It was great to watch them in the jump-off."

“And then there is Seamus. I'm also really proud of Seamus and Cosmo. He came on this trip as the fifth rider for Cosmo to get experience. His horse was not really ready for this level. Seamus got the call-up because unfortunately Ethen Aherne’s horse was injured during transport. And he really did his best. I'm extremely proud of his performance with Cosmo. It was really a wonderful team performance. We had a great group and great supporters with us.”

Kürten also highlighted the wider importance of the Longines EEF Series in Ireland’s long-term development strategy and the pathway it provides for future championship riders and horses.

“They will be appearing again on the team. Obviously, there's so many team events. The next important date in the EEF Series is Deauville, and some of them will be appearing on the team in Deauville. If we go to Kronenberg, then some of them will be on the team there. Some of them will be moving up to five-star level."

“This is our plan: make use of the EEF to grow our riders and horses. For the future, we have some of the riders here that might be looking towards the Olympics. We're trying to build horses and riders towards the Olympic goal, and this is why the Longines EEF Series is especially good for us."

“I think we should also say a special thank you to the organisers here at Bedizzole. It was difficult circumstances, a lot of rain, and I think the way that they handled the entire situation was calm, logical and horse-friendly.”

Allen, who stole the show with three outstanding clear rounds, praised Edison de Hus following the victory. “Edison de Hus is a fantastic horse,” Allen said. “We were here last February and we won a class at 1.50m. We’ve done many competitions at this level and he has always been super.  Actually I didn’t feel that much pressure in the jump-off. I’m only very happy about how the horse jumped. I kept concentrating on my plan and everything went just fine. We were fast.”

Launched in 2020 by the European Equestrian Federation in partnership with Longines, the Longines EEF Series was created to provide developing riders, horses and nations with a meaningful pathway into elite team competition. Now in its sixth edition, the Series has become one of the most important development circuits in European show jumping.

Every team must include at least one Under 25 rider, ensuring emerging talent gains valuable championship-style experience in a true Nations Cup environment. With qualification points now secured in Bedizzole, attention will soon turn to the next stages of the regional campaign as teams continue their push towards the Semi-Final in Samorin, Slovakia later this summer.