O’Connor leading rider in Dubai
He claimed the accolade on the back of two wins, the first coming on Friday with Larkhill Cruiser in the qualifier for the World Cup class, followed by victory in an accumulator class on the eight-year-old mare Arabella.
Larkhill Cruiser was hugely successful on the domestic circuit in the hands of John Floody and is proving a useful foil for O’Connor since he acquired him a few months back. The Meath-based rider also saddled up the 10-year-old Cruising gelding for Saturday’s Arab League World Cup Grand Prix and added a second-round clear to his four-fault opener to finish fifth.
“I am giving some clinics here and I have some clients competing in the Gulf Tour, so I thought it would be good to bring some horses here. Both my horses are Irish, so it’s a good advert for Irish breeding,” said the Meath-based rider yesterday.
“It is the first time for Larkhill to jump at that level, so it’s a big step up for him. He was unlucky to touch off the last fence in the first round and jumped really well again in round two after they decided to call back the top 25% of the field,” he said.
O’Connor’s fifth place saw him finish behind his student, Ahmed Tolba from Egypt, who was aboard Splendor, formerly ridden by O’Connor.
“It was great for Ahmed, who jumped beautifully and produced one of only two double clear rounds,” said O’Connor.
Tolba finished just under a tenth-of a second behind Saudi rider Abdullah Al-Sharbatli on Columbia II.
