O’Connor achieves first grand prix placing with Carolus Z

Show jumper Cian O’Connor was “pretty happy” after achieving his first grand prix placing with Carolus Z at the $8m FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

The Meath-based rider had reason to love the 11-year-old gelding when second to American Kent Farrington in the $84,000 St Valentine’s Day contest.

“It’s the first grand prix placing with him, so I’m pretty happy,” O’Connor said. “I knew it was going to be mission impossible to beat Kent, so I just tried to jump a clear round and hopefully hold on for second place. It was great prize money tonight, so thanks very much to the sponsor.

“I just got him in the winter, so I did a few indoors with him. He is a big horse to keep together and I’m just getting the hang of him, so hopefully good things to come,” said the Olympic bronze medalist of the Zangersheide gelding.

O’Connor was one of eight from a starting field of 42 to negotiate the first-round track designed by Britain’s Richard Jeffery.

Farrington and Blue Angel were going for their second win in as many days and blazed their way around in 36.58 seconds when third to go, a performance put in context by O’Connor’s clear in 39.28secs.

On Saturday, Tipperary’s Kevin Babington and Mark Q also filled the runner-up slot, producing one of only two jump-off clears in the $34,000 Suncast Classic 1.50mtr contest. The US-based rider was just under two seconds off the time set by Sweden’s Alexander Zetterman aboard Cafino.

At the three-star show in Neumunster, Germany, Tipperary’s Denis Lynch rode Lantinus to third place in a 1.50mtr, one-round class.

Meanwhile, Italian show jumping legend Col Piero d’Inzeo has died just three months after the passing of his equally-famous younger brother Raimondo.

The siblings were the first athletes to compete in eight successive Olympics, and were regulars at Dublin Horse Show, with Piero winning the grand prix in 1962.

Piero, a winner of six Olympic medals, was weeks short of his 91st birthday.