Cian O’Connor grateful for his Good Luck
It was satisfying in that it came on Good Luck, a newcomer he is not shy about saying has Olympic potential.
A notable feature of last Saturday’s contest was that O’Connor and the stallion — owned by Austrian-Canadian auto-parts magnate Frank Stronach — provided the only double clear, beating Beezie Madden in a head-to-head jump-off, when the American stalwart four faulted on the more-experienced Vanilla.
While it was a World Cup class, it took place at a two-star show. O’Connor said this was not relevant.
“What was unusual about the class is that in Europe you would not have a World Cup qualifier at a two-star show. A lot of people came expecting a two-star competition, but it was up to height, 1.60mtr, and only myself and Beezie were clear,” said O’Connor.
“This horse, I believe in a lot. I bought him in November, after he was brought to my attention by my friend Abdel Said of Egypt. I watched him on video and I liked him, plus he had a good history with the rider in Belgium. I approached Mr Stronach with the view it could be an Olympic horse.”
The Meath-based rider has opted not to join three of his Irish counterparts — Conor Swail (Grand Cru vd Jijf Eiken), Shane Sweetnam (Venturo 9) and Kevin Babington (Shorapur) — contesting tomorrow’s $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix in Wellington, but he feels his time in the Sunshine State was productive.
“Florida was good for me, as I hadn’t ridden competitively since Millstreet. The horses were on a break and I wanted to look at new horses.
“That’s why I found Palm Beach beneficial. I used it as a training ground and it was particularly satisfying to finish off with a win in a World Cup class.
“Of course, we still have a long way to go; I haven’t over-jumped Good Luck, just six weekends out of 12, and we have made progress in getting to know each other.”
This familiarity means he is justified in rating the nine-year-old stallion with the best.
“I’ve been very lucky to have great horses, Blue Loyd, Rancorrado, K Club Lady, but Waterford Crystal was probably the best. I feel Good Luck is in the same league, if not more so, but we have a lot to do. He has all the raw ingredients required to be a top horse.
“Robert Splaine has seen the horse and he will be available for the team if needed. If he can prove himself, I think the horse could be at the European championships this year.”
Ireland’s focus is securing Olympic qualification at the championships, while also contesting the Furusiyya Nations Cup Series. O’Connor believes that, rather than the series being a distraction, it will prove beneficial in preparing for the Europeans.
“The fact we have to do only four competitions is a big help. We have a lot of good riders and nobody wants to contemplate not qualifying for the Olympics.
“I’m sure, though, that while using the Furusiyya Series as a testing ground, everybody will be trying their best and it will allow us to qualify for the final in Barcelona, as a result.”
He also said that while the brand may be ‘Team Ireland’, the preparation is very much a solo effort for riders.
“We talk about a team competition, but it is also an individual sport. It’s important to focus on yourself.
“Top horses are scarce, so I have not gone in search for as many as I would have before. Now, I am looking for really special horses, and then I try to find owners.”
In essence, he is putting the emphasis on quality over quantity when it comes to equines, with a focus on delivering in the big headline classes.
“I now feel you are better off with three good horses. If you spend all your day riding average horses, you can’t commit to looking for good ones. I tried about 150 horses last year alone before I found Good Luck, I felt there was something different about him.
“I feel I have a very good horse and I am so fortunate to have great support from Mr Stronach and his granddaughter Nicole Walker. Now, I have to make that horse produce the results.”
- The luck of the Irish was absent in the HITS $1m Grand Prix at Ocala, Florida, last Monday, with Kevin Babington (Mark Q) and Darragh Kenny (Imothep) suffering single errors to exit the competition in round one.
Babington placed 12th, one place ahead of Kenny.
A six-horse jump-off, saw American Charlie Jayne (Chilli RZ) take the top prize.
- Liam O’Meara continues to hold a sizeable lead as the Connolly Red Mills/HSI Spring Tour enters its second half.
On 50 points, he has a 23-point lead on Sean Kavanagh, with Catherine Thornton one point further back after she added a third place in Cavan last weekend to her previous two winning outings.
Cavan was the first of nine shows that O’Meara failed to pick up any points, but he has an opportunity to make up for it at Maryville in Cork on Sunday, where Kavanagh also lines out, while Thornton has opted to contest the leg at Kernan’s Equestrian Centre, Co Armagh on the same day.
Crucially, though, it is the best points from nine legs that can be counted, and O’Meara has accumulated points at eight shows.
- The “boys were class,” declared Austin O’Connor after a couple of solid displays at last weekend’s nations cup show in Fontainebleau, France, where the Corkman was preparing for four-star Badminton (May 6-10) and Kentucky (Apr 23-26).
The Buckinghamshire-based Corkman rode Ringwood Mississippi to 20th place, producing one of only five show jumping clears. The 13-year-old Irish sport horse has been accepted for Badminton, in which he placed 15th last year.
An out-of-character show jumping performance from Balham Houdini saw O’Connor slip to 27th place. He has entered the Warrenstown You 2 offspring in Kentucky.
