Tipperary's Shane Breen claimed third place in a tense World Cup qualifier in Helsinki, Finland, on Sunday which saw only eight of the 36 starters managing to achieve a clear first round.
Breen and his own ten-year-old stallion Balloon navigated a stylish zero-penalty start and in the jump-off came home clear once more in a time of 37.14.
However, Switzerland's Steve Guerdat with Nino des Buissonnets shaved just over a second off the Irishman's time to take the runner-up spot, while France's Patrice Delaveau and Orient Express collected the €30,000 first prize with a time of 34.23, almost three seconds faster than Breen.
However, the Irish rider not only took home €18,000 for his third place, but now holds fifth position in the leaderboard after two legs of the Longines/FEI World Cup Jumping rankings for the 2013/2014 season.
Breen also took a third place with Balloon in Saturday's Grand Prix at the five-star Finnish venue.
