Kurten rides in Russia and scoops $45,000 prize

JESSICA KURTEN’S decision to compete in Russia at the weekend and miss this week’s Dublin Horse Show paid rich dividends as she netted $45,000 in prize money.

The Antrim show jumper, who refuses to ride for Ireland in a dispute with team manager Robert Splaine, won the grand prix at Chernyakhovsk to pick up $30,000, having on Saturday won a speed class.

Yesterday’s grand prix at the show near Russia’s Baltic coast saw the world number two rider one of three to make the jump-off from a field of 27. On board the world number three horse, Quibell, the German-based rider had more than two seconds to spare when beating Swede Rolf-Goran Bengtsson on Grandina.

On Friday, Kurten placed third with the 12-year-old Danish-bred mare in a 1.45m jump-off class behind German Frankie Sloothaak (Acquina) and Bengtsson (Grandina).

She teamed up with Laurus on Saturday to win a 1.35m speed class, pocketing $6,500, the horse also carrying her to fourth in a jump-off class.

Kurten’s dispute with Splaine comes after she was not named on the team in Lucerne, having travelled to the Swiss show as part of a five-rider squad. She says she would only travel to Dublin this week if she was guaranteed an automatic place on the Irish team to contest Friday’s nations cup. Splaine says that she, like every other rider, should compete on Thursday to allow him make an assessment before naming his four-rider team.

Ireland are last in the Samsung Super League and facing relegation.

Kurten’s stance means she will not ride for Ireland at the World Equestrian Games, which begin this month in Aachen, Germany.

Meanwhile Splaine heads to the RDS this week on a winning note having claimed the grand prix at the South County Dublin Show at Celbridge yesterday. Riding his stallion Clarion Hotels Coolcorron Cool Diamond, the Irish team manager beat Conor Swail and Nepomuk by over half a second, with Sarah Kate Quinlivan and Newmarket Girl third.

Corkman Splaine’s third win this season has lifted him to fifth in the Boswell Equestrian Grand Prix League on 52 points, while Swail, a winner on Saturday has jumped to top of the leaderboard on 80 points. Francis Connors is second on 76, with Clement McMahon and Tholm Keane equal third on 53.