O’Connor caps ‘surreal couple of weeks’ with Grand Prix third

Monday, August 20, 2012

Olympic bronze medallist Cian O’Connor ensured himself a fitting send-off from the Discover Dublin Horse Show yesterday when third in the €200,000 Longines Grand Prix.

O’Connor, a member of Ireland’s Aga Khan Trophy-winning team on Friday, said he was heartened by the support he had received, having left the RDS last night to be feted at a public celebration in Ratoath, Co Meath, along with pentathlete Natalya Coyle.

“It’s been a surreal couple of weeks and everything has gone according to plan and so much more, obviously. I’ve only had Blue Loyd seven months and it has been amazing journey and, when I see and hear both the crowd in the RDS and, indeed, the people in my village who came out tonight, I am humbled. I am really delighted that the Olympics and the team success in Friday’s nations cup has lifted the spirits of people, generally.”

O’Connor and Blue Loyd picked up four faults in the first round of yesterday’s contest and was one of 10 recalled to the arena. He went on to produce a clear that earned him €30,000 as the fastest of the two-round four-faulters.

Victory went to Carsten-Otto Nagel, the German and his grey mare Corradina conjuring up the faster of just two double clears to pocket €66,000. Frenchman Kevin Staut was the other rider to leave all the fences upright, but he fell short by a tenth of a second on Reveur De Hurtebise.

The Speed Championship curtain-raiser again saw the Irish take centre stage, with Tipperary’s Shane Breen and the consistent Ominerale Courcelle adding Dublin success to their recent speed double during the nations cup show at his base in Hickstead. Breen had over two-and-a-half seconds to spare on Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts on Sjoeke, with Co Down’s Conor Swail steering his new mount Martha Louise to third place.

Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer, riding the French-bred Rafale Des Forets, claimed the €14,000 Connolly’s Red Mills Final for horses aged seven and eight, with Greg Broderick and Noel Cawley’s Cruising-sired chestnut mare Rincarina best of the Irish in fourth place.

The top prize in the €10,000 Carling King Championships for five-year-olds went to Neal Fearon and the Ard VDL Douglas-sired chestnut stallion Camillo VDL.

Yesterday’s Amateur Championship saw Dungarvan’s Sarah Kate O’Donovan and Noel Devereux’s mare Knockenpower Ginger provide the only double clear.

Having taken the top prize in The Dublin Stakes on Saturday with Loughview Lou Lou, Dermott Lennon said: “I think I’ve won every international class in Dublin over the years, except the grand prix. It’s probably been my best Dublin Show ever.”

Fourteen of the 41-strong field reached the jump-off, with Lennon beating London Olympics gold medallist Steve Guerdat on Ferrari VI by over a tenth of a second.

It was the Co Down rider’s second triumph of the week with Judith Sossick’s Limmerick mare, coupled with two second places.

The party-atmosphere Land Rover Puissance, with €30,000 on offer, lived up to its reputation as a crowd pleaser, with three riders sharing first place after the maximum five rounds. With the packed stands indulging in Mexican waves, Kilkenny’s Michael Hutchinson and Acorad 3 became the first to jump the 2.18m edifice. Liam O’Meara and Cisero rocked the wall, but it stayed upright, while Italy’s Juan Carlos Garcia and Oliander delivered on the promise they had shown from the outset. Cian O’Connor was the only other rider of the nine-strong field to make the fifth round, but the giant 18hh Countdown caught the coping and the Meath-based rider had to call on all his experience to stay in the saddle as the grey eight-year-old stumbled on landing.

Earlier, France’s Roger Yves Bost had an easy win in the accumulator with Georgina Forbes’s Castleforbes Vivaldo van het Costerveld, coming home over two seconds ahead of Waterford’s Tholm Keane on Ronan Tynan’s Warrrenstown You 2, with Clem McMahon and Valentino in third.

There was no luck for Denis Lynch in the €285,000 Global Champions Tour contest in Valkensvaard, the Netherlands, the Tipperary rider lowering the second part of the double and the penultimate fence with Abbervail van het Dingeshof to exit in the first round. The result dropped him to fourth place in the GCT standings. Mark McAuley and Par Trois ended on 12 faults, while Jessica Kurten retire Vincente, following problems approaching the treble, having already accumulated eight faults.

Lynch, however, booked a ticket to success on board Night Train in yesterday’s Speed Derby, using the chestnut gelding’s pace to produce the faster of only two double clears.

In Kentucky, Shane Sweetnam jumped the fastest of only four clear rounds to win the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic with Amaretto d’Arco.

The Cork rider, who placed second in the World Cup qualifier in Spruce Meadows, Canada, last month, said he was using the Lexington show as preparation for the Hampton Classic laster this month, where the feature is the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix.

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