In-form Offaly pilot heads hat-trick of Grand Prix wins for Irish
Darragh Kenny must be in dreamworld, after living a nightmare, as he rode a red-hot wave of form since his return from four months of enforced inaction to snag the $500,000 Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix from a field that included six of the top 10 riders in the world at the prestigious five-star show in Wellington International early Sunday morning Irish time.
That was Kenny’s second five-star success of a week that also yielded victories at the four-star event in Vejer de la Frontera, with Niamh McEvoy seeing off Billy Twomey in the Grand Prix, 24 hours after Ciarán Nallon had prompted the sounding of Amhrán na bhFiann.
James Chawke was a three-star winner in Thermal, while Mark McAuley completed a hat-trick of Grand Prix triumphs for Irish athletes by securing the top spot at the two-star feature in the luxurious surroundings of St Tropez Gassin Polo Club.
This was all about Kenny, however, who has been victorious at the highest grade three times now since his return at his adopted home of Wellington three weeks ago, having reached an agreement with the FEI after testing positive for a prescribed medication for ADHD that is on the prohibited list for human athletes.
He has also been runner-up in another five-star competition and posted three podiums at four-star level during this rich vein of form.
Afterwards, the Offaly Olympian spoke of how hard it was to not be able to compete but as important for him to get back to winning ways, it was clear that securing a first Grand Prix for the brilliant Eddy Blue was at least as significant.
The 14-year-old owned by Carol Sollak combined with his partner of nearly four years to help Ireland finish fourth at the European Championships last year and they were also a slightly unlucky seventh in the individual rankings. The 2024 FEI World Cup of London is also on the CV but the Oldenburg gelding had not been able to scale the peak of a five-star Grand Prix despite a host of consistent efforts. That blank has been filled now, much to his rider’s delight.
“He’s been an incredible horse for me for quite a while now,” said Kenny. “I’ve been riding him for three and a half years. He’s been second in a grand prix here, he’s been third in a grand prix here, he’s been placed in a lot of five-star grands prix, but to finally win one here is really deserving for the horse because he’s an incredible athlete. He tries so hard every time he goes in the ring, and I am really proud of him and how he competed tonight.”
The tracks were set by Irishman Alan Wade, who will be course designer for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Nine combinations advanced to the jump-off and pathfinder, Marilyn Little (USA) set the time to beat at 41.92 seconds aboard her own La Contessa, and remarkably, that time was matched by Australian Thaisa Erwin and Hialita B. They would have to settle for joint-second, however, as Eddy Blue’s big stride enabled his navigator to take one stride of the first line and the penultimate pairing were ahead of the curve from that juncture on, taking the considerable spoils with a clear in 41.77.
“Eddy Blue is a very careful horse, so I can take a bit of risk with him. He’s a championship-type horse because he wants to leave the jumps up every day.”
Unsurprisingly, Kenny is targeting the FEI World Championships in Aachen, next August, and in this form, it would be difficult to bet against this outstanding duo.
His groom, Shauna Murray, was presented with the Double H Farm Grooms Award and a $500 cash prize for her care and preparation of Eddy Blue and the Oakland Stables boss was quick to thank his support group.
“I’m really proud of my team, the team at the barn, everybody involved in Oakland. This has been quite a difficult time for me for the last six months, not being able to show, not being able to compete with my horses. It was very difficult. It was something that was really hard to deal with and hard to manage and to have them all feeling the way they feel right now and jumping the way they are, and the relief of winning tonight was quite big.”
He had begun Week 9 of the Winter Equestrian Festival by winning the 1.45m jump-off class on Thursday night with Cosmos BH (above), owned by Gochman Sport Horses. Only eight of the 33 combinations failed to record a blemish-free round first time and they all returned for a repeat outing. Kenny was second of those into the International Ring with his 13-year-old and they clocked an insurmountable time of 29.74, in a wonderful display of tight turns, pace and efficient jumping.
In the week where the latest Longines World Rankings revealed there were eight Irish athletes in the top 50, Shane Sweetnam who climbed to ninth and is now Ireland’s highest-ranked show jumper, climbing to ninth, he rounded out the top five with a clear in 31.51 on Pegina VD Bisschop. Sweetnam also had Balou H in the jump-off but they knocked a rail while Michael Duffy and Cantano 32 posted a double clear for 12th.
Later in the evening, Kenny steered Zero K to sixth in the Adequan WEF Challenge, the duo blitzing around Alan Wade’s track in the second fastest time of the jump-off but registering eight faults. That slotted them in behind the only four-faulters, Bertram Allen and Pacino Amiro (ISH), bred in Donegal by Simon Scott, with victory going to Ben Maher (GBR) with Enjeu De Grisien.
Jordan Coyle missed out on making it an Irish five-star treble at the famed Florida venue by just three-hundredths of a second on Sunday. The Derry piloted 15-year-old gelding Ariso to a clear in 32.8, allowing Mark Bluman (COL) and Ubiluc to just hold on in the Hèrmes 1.50m Classic
The Andalucia Sunshine Tour yielded a couple of big wins too at four-star level. The signpost success was that of Niamh McEvoy in the 1.55m Grand Prix, the highlight class of the Andalucía Sunshine Tour’s fifth week of competition in Vejer de la Frontera.
This was a really stern examination as only 4% of the field of 50 jumped clear on Dehesa Montenmedio’s grass Don Antonio arena. That translates to just two combos and it was Irish athletes at the helm of both, as McEvoy combined with Olympic GL FVD (above) and Twomey guided Ace Of Hearts Z. The latter pairing retired, meaning McEvoy and Olympic GL FVD took the spoils with three time penalties. Nallon followed up his success of 24 hours earlier by securing fourth with Casalla Blue PS.
The Mayo native, now riding out of Ludger Beerbaum’s stable in Germany, steered the intriguingly named Little Special In Red M to victory in the Geolastic Trophy on Saturday, coming out on top of a class that produced 10 double clears with a lightning quick time of 34.23 in the tiebreaker.
McEvoy, with Sevilla van de Berghoeve , and Tim Brennan with Diadema della Caccia, also made the jump-off but were unable to be error-free second time around.
It was an excellent week for Nallon, who bagged a bronze in Friday’s La Equina Trophy, a 1.50m speed class, combining with Sunday’s winner, Casalla Blue PS for a clear in 61.05, just over a second a half behind the victorious Julien Anquetin (FRA), with Beau de Laubry Z.
James Chawke and Daido van’t Ruytershof Z (below) can always be relied upon to put their best foot forward in a jump-off, and the Portlaoise native and his 12-year-old mare made light of being pathfinder for a 45-strong field to beat off fellow Irishman, Conor Swail not once but twice, and lead an all Green Jacketed podium in Thursday’s 1.45m Welcome Speed at the three-star show in Thermal, California.
The duo entered the main arena on the ninth week of the Desert International Horse Park programme and promptly became the first of 13 clear rounds, but without any clues to go on, it was always long odds that they would come out on top against the clock. That was to reckon without the nous and skill of the Laois rider and the athleticism and accuracy of his horse and they promptly set a target of 36.05 seconds with a clear round that nobody could improve upon.
Swail gave it a go, the Darragh Cross pilot first clearing the short course in 37.53 seconds aboard another speed machine Theo 160 to eventually take third place. He then returned on Oliver Glancy’s Clonterm Obolensky (ISH), bred in Ashbourne by Brian Duff, the duo crossing the finish in 36.94 seconds for second place.
“I thought she was really good,” said Chawke of his equine partner. “She’s always so fast, so you can kind of stick to your plan and do it well. She’s always going to be there or thereabouts.
“I thought I was quite good the first half [of the jump-off], and then I thought I was a little bit slow to the second-to-last and to the last. So, I was a bit wondering if someone would catch me there, but thankfully, it was enough for today.
“I actually tried some different back boots on her today, so it was a bit of a trial day with her. I’ve been a bit unlucky in a few classes; we’ve had a jump down behind. Yesterday, she had the fastest time in the [speed class with one rail down], so I just decided to change them, and she was really good.”
Swail and Theo 160 posted another podium finish in that speed class Chawke felt he had left behind, the tried-and-trusted pairing finishing runner-up to Ali Ramsay (CAN) and Bonita VH Keizershof Z, who grasped victory from them with a time of 61.85, compared to their standard of 62.41.
McAuley secured his GP victory with 13-year-old L’Arc En Ciel Z in impressive fashion, coming out on top of a 10-horse decider on the French Riviera from Bryan Balsiger (SUI), with Castiel.
Ten pairings participated in the jump-off, though Daniel McAlinden was very unlucky to miss out on the Michael Griffin-bred Philly Fogarty (ISH), slipping to a time fault. The decider claimed four casualties but it was McAuley who bagged the gold medal, stopping the clock on 37.66
There was three-star action at Ocala also and Jonathan Corrigan secured a podium slot in the 1.45m Winning Round on Friday with a double clear on Darius De Kerglenn, while at the two-star show in Myakka City the same day, Philip McGuane was also third with Coronado in a 1.45m speed class, just edging out fellow Clare man, David Blake and Gucci Des Embruns.
BREEDING
PACINO AMIRO (ISH) – 2012 gelding by Pacino (BWP) out of Carnone Dancing Queen (ISH) by NC Amiro (AES). Breeder: Simon Scott, Co. Donegal. Owner: Aloga Stables. Rider: Bertram Allen (IRL).
CLONTERM OBOLENSKY (ISH) – 2016 stallion by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of She Has The Lux (ISH) by Lux Z (HANN). Breeder: Brian Duff, Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Owner: Oliver Raymond Glancy. Rider: Conor Swail (IRL).
PHILLY FOGARTY (ISH) – 2017 br gelding by Aganix Du Seigneur (SBS) out of Rosgreen Queen (ISH) by Harlequin Du Carel (SF). Breeder: Michael Griffin. Owner: Butler Court Stables. Rider: Daniel McAlinden (IRL).