A week after his return to competitive action, Cian O’Connor won Sunday’s 1.60m Grand Prix at the five-star show in Sopot, Poland on the 11-year-old stallion Good Luck.
Sidelined with a groin injury for six weeks, O’Connor was one of 13 riders who made it through to the jump-off round of the 50-runner class but one of just four who had gone clear in round one.
Having been the quickest of that quartet, the Meath rider was drawn last to go in the jump-off, immediately behind Portugal’s Luciana Diniz who had taken the lead when clear in 48.77 on Fit For Fun, and he secured the first prize of roughly €50,000 when also clear in 47.59. The Netherlands’ Marc Houtzager recorded the only other double clear on Sterrehof’s Calimero (48.96).
“I’m over the moon,” commented O’Connor. “The horse is getting a little bit older now and is a lot more consistent. I saw the time was tight in the first round and came inside the vertical to the treble and that really helped. I didn’t see many others go in the jump-off but the lads, Bertram [Allen]and Michael Blake, were a great help and said to leave a stride out from fence one to two and I think that’s where I made up the time.
“I have of course been off for a few weeks and the whole team including Michael Kelly and Ross Mulholland deserve a lot of credit for the work they put in while I was injured. This is a great win for the team and especially for my owners Nicole Walker and Frank Stronach who have been such brilliant supporters of mine. This is a very important win as it now pre-qualifies us for all five-star Grand Prixs for the next 12 months so, at big shows like Aachen or Dublin, we don’t have to jump earlier in the week to qualify which is great.”
At the five-star Longines Global Champions’ Tour Grand Prix show in Cannes, France, Co Offaly-born Darragh Kenny finished third in Saturday’s 1.60m speed class with Kerry Anne McCahill’s Dutch Warmblood 10-year-old Charly Chaplin S (66.71). Colombia’s Carlos Enrique Lopez Lizarazo claimed the €59,400 first prize on Cuplandra (65.54) with French rider Roger Yves Bost placing second on Pegase du Murier (65.87).
Also on Saturday, Irish pony riders filled three of the top four places in the 1.30m Grand Prix in Wieden, The Netherlands with Co Mayo’s Ciaran Nallon taking the honours on Rexter d’Or (35.87) ahead of Co Cork’s Abbie Sweetnam on Dynamite Spartacus (37.08). Riding the Irish-bred Attyrory Bye Bye Love, a nine-year-old skewbald mare, Sweden’s Ingrid Ravisk finished third when clear in 42.96 with Co Down’s Charlotte Houston, who had a pole down in the jump-off round, fourth on Lea du Genier.
Across the Atlantic, Shane Sweetnam won the final international class on the week at Tryon in North Carolina when landing Sunday’s 1.50m challenge at the four-star show.
The Co Cork rider was first to go in the jump-off round on the Cyklon 1083 and, once again, left all the poles intact, over a course designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade, coming home in an unbeatable 35.583. American combinations finished second and third, David Beisel and Ammeretto faring the better in 36.553 ahead of Karl Cook on Caillou (37.736).
Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farms’ and Cyklon 1083, a 2001 Swedish Warmblood stallion by Cardento, won Friday’s 1.45m speed competition while, on Saturday, on board Indra van de Oude Heihoef, the rider finished fifth in the 1.60m Horseware Ireland 1.60m Grand Prix won by Frances Eric Navet on Catypso.
Co Derry’s Daniel Coyle was unable to maintain his winning run at Spruce Meadows, Canada on Sunday but had some good placed efforts in the FEI classes, finishing fifth with eight faults on Ridley in the 1.45m Derby where only the USA’s Richard Spooner managed to go clear with Cristallo. In the earlier 1.45m speed class won by the USA’s McLain Ward on Tina la Boheme (70.61), Coyle was second on Simba de la Roque (70.62) and third with Cita (70.95).
At home, Jack Ryan, who is still competing in ponies, took time off his Junior cert studies to win Sunday’s leg of the Show Jumping Ireland national 1.40 Grand Prix league at the Coilóg Equestrian Centre in Co Kildare. He parterned the 10-year-old Glidawn Diamond mare Cavalier Teaca on which he had earlier landed the 1.35m class.
On the national eventing scene, it was an excellent weekend for Michelle Kenny of River Lodge Equestrian in Wexford as she won and placed fourth in a division of the novice class at Killossery Lodge in north Co Dublin on Saturday with RLE Egane and RLE Nuans T Volt respectively and recorded a double on Sunday at Clyda in Co Cork on Cothopo (open intermediate) and Poynstown Will (intermediate).
