HSI hopeful Investec relationshipwill ‘roll on’
While the deal will see the banking and asset management group support the team for the Dublin Horse Show and the European Championships in Aachen, Germany, HSI chairman Pat Wall told the Irish Examiner he was hopeful the relationship would “roll on”, should Olympic qualification be secured at the championships.
As is typical of HSI, though, the announcement was scant on detail. For example, it did not reveal the value of the Investec support.
Also, crucially, it did not say how the Investec money would be spent. Will it provide a financial inducement to encourage and help owners to retain top horses? Perhaps, it will offset the costs associated with running the team.
Wall cited “commercial sensitivity” for not revealing the sponsorship figure. It is a term that has entered the realm of cliche and, ultimately, leaves a vacuum, filled by speculation that the amount is relatively small.
Wall did point out that Investec - sponsors of the Epsom Derby and Monaghan GAA - “has a lot of high net-worth individuals amongst its clients. They will invite them along to the events, so we may hook a few new [horse] owners”.
On one level, though, the Investec deal possesses great value: It proves that the days when the words ‘controversy’ and ‘show jumping’ were natural bedfellows are a distant memory.
Instead, we have the likes of the brilliant Bertram Allen last Saturday becoming the youngest winner of a Global Champions Tour in Paris.
As for Team Ireland, its true position in Europe Division One of the Furusiyya Nations Cup Series will become a little clearer today after the competition in Falsterbo, Sweden. Ireland currently lie in fourth place, but are not represented today and are almost guaranteed to slip down the leadboard.
Accordingly, a good result in Dublin will be essential... and even more so, if Investec is to be kept on side.
However, the true measure of the company’s investment prowess will only become apparent at the European Championships.
Meanwhile, Irish hopes of qualifying a show jumping team for the Olympics at the European Championships suffered a blow this week when Darragh Kenny withdrew Imothep as a result of a “minor injury” picked up in Rotterdam three weeks ago.
Asked of the nature of the injury to the stallion, the Offaly rider said: “I’m not really in the position to talk about it. It’s nothing serious, he just needs a break for a month.”
Owners Hyperion Stud, on their facebook page, said of the injury: “Bad timing, but he will make a full recovery. Thank you to our team and vets for putting the horses’ health before all else!”
Imothep and Kenny placed seventh individually at last year’s World Equestrian Games.
The US-based rider is still in line to make the Europeans with Sans Soucis Z, on which he placed third in last Saturday’s Paris Global Champions Tour grand prix.
The Irish pony squad to contest the European Championships features three of the team that finished equal second in the nations cup at Hagen, Germany, last month.
The trio are Luke Garrigan (Dr Spot), Olivia Roulston (Ballygawleys Little Ferro) and Abbie Sweetnam (Dynamite Spartacus or Spartacus Reape). They will be joined at the championships in Malmo, Sweden, on Aug 5-9 by
Mikey Pender (Imagine If One or Zirina) and Kayleigh Soden (Castle Hill King). Hannah O’Shea (More Clover), the fourth team member in Hagen, was selected as the non-travelling reserve.
Vincent Byrne will bid on Sunday to extend his lead in the TRM Horseware Premier Series in Cork.
Byrne is entered with two horses in the €10,000 contest at Curraheen, including Hannibal V Overis Z, on which he finished runner-up in Omagh last Sunday.
Byrne is on 14pts, but Catherine Thornton on 12 points will be aiming to return to the top, as will Omagh winner Daniel Coyle, Jordan Coyle and Alexander Butler, all on 10 points.
The show also features a National Grand Prix.
