Hickstead Nations Cup podium maintains form ahead of Olympics

  • 26 July 2024, 20:07

11th top three finish a boost for Irish on day Coyle bags double in Valkenswaard

The Underwriting Exchange Irish Senior Show Jumping team extended their astounding record of Nations Cup podium finishes this year to 11, by coming third in a very testing Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain at the All England Jumping Course in Hickstead this afternoon.

For the second year in a row, the hosts took the honours thanks to a clear round from venerable anchor John Whitaker, the 68-year-old proving nerveless just as he had done 12 months ago.

On that occasion, the British denied Ireland narrowly, while this year, it was Netherlands that were runners-up.

Team Ireland were in contention right to the closing stages, however, and the result emboldens the positivity around Irish show jumping with the Olympic Games competition getting under way in Paris next Thursday.

Horse Sport Ireland’s High Performance Show Jumping Director, Michael Blake opted to marry considerable experience with youthful vigour when selecting his team for the unique challenge set by Kelvin Bywater and his crew.

Denis Lynch and Cian O’Connor bookended the Wachman brothers Max (pictured above clearing the water on Irish Sport Horse Kilkenny) and Tom, both of whom had contributed handsomely to the GAIN Equine Nutrition team that won gold at the European Championships for Young Riders (U21) in Peelbergen last week.

O’Connor, the only member of today’s quartet competing at the Olympics, was participating in his 150th Nations Cup, 24 years after making his debut as a 19-year-old – the same age as Tom Wachman is now.

Denis Lynch gave the Irish the ideal start with a clear round on Vistogrand. The stallion knows the venue well having previously been in the care of Lynch’s fellow Tipperary native Shane Breen, who is based at Hickstead.

It showed and the 11-year-old illustrated his marvellous scope and easy power without apparently ever needing to move out of his comfort zone.

Max Wachman and the Ita Brennan-bred Irish Sport Horse Kilkenny had eight faults however to put the Green Jackets on the back foot.

While Tom Wachman and Berlux Z knocked two of the last three obstacles to register 12 faults, not for the first time, O’Connor came to Ireland’s rescue with a brilliant clear on Fermoy.

It was a masterful effort by both horse and rider on a day that meant a lot to the Meath-based Kildare native, with Fermoy never even threatening to rub a pole.

Clear rounds were hard to come by for the large part, as evidenced by the high scoring and the fact that Ireland’s ultimate tally of 16 faults was good enough for third.

It was particularly notable that Max Wachman returned with a clear round, which was a vital contribution, and while Tom suffered an unfortunate elimination, the pair have enjoyed a significant week in their careers and in their development as high-class riders.

Lynch and O’Connor both had one fence down second time around and that was enough to hold off a rallying Germany for yet another podium spot.

“Any time you finish on the podium, you have to be happy and so we are but such has been the calibre of our performances this year that we are always aiming higher,” said Blake afterwards.

“We had a strong team with a blend of youth and experience and while there were a couple of costly errors that prevented us finishing higher, it was a stiff examination.

“There were two great rounds from Denis with Vistogrand, and Cian with Fermoy to keep us in the hunt after the first round. It is a tremendous landmark for Cian to reach 150 Nations Cups and he remains as proud as ever to represent Ireland in Nations Cups.

“I was especially pleased with Max coming back out to jump a clear on Kilkenny on his second round and while it wasn’t Tom’s day, he is still a very young man who is coming off a huge week last week and we will see plenty more of him in Nations Cups in the near future.

“It is wonderful to have such a consistently high level of performance in what is the most difficult level of competition in our sport, and to have brought our tally of podium finishes to 11 this year is something to be very proud of.

“Most of all, this keeps the momentum going and all roads now lead to Paris. We go to the Olympics in great form and looking forward to representing the country with pride, as all the riders have done in every Nations Cup competition this year.

“As ever, none of this would be possible without the support of the owners and the grooms as well as the riders, and of course Horse Sport Ireland. It’s been a huge team effort.”

Elsewhere, it was a big day in Valkenswaard for Jordan Coyle with two victories, including a four-star triumph for the Derry native.

Coyle, whose younger brother Daniel will represent Ireland at the Olympics next week, was actually competing in Europe for the first time apart from at the RDS for the Dublin Horse Show, got the day off to a good start when scoring in the two-star Grand Prix Qualifier on King Kannan GP.

The pair blitzed a field of 50, going clear over the 1.45m track in an astonishing time of 62.60 seconds that was more than five seconds faster than the next best combination, Annabel Francis (GBR) and Nebraska van ‘t Vianahof.

Jordan Coyle and For Gold (Sportfot)

Coyle returned to the Grass Arena five hours later to land the spoils in another speed class, this time a four-star 1.50m Grand Prix qualifier with the admirable 13-year-old gelding For Gold that he co-owns with Falkirk Farm.

Once more, it was a comprehensive victory for the partnership – a fifth of the year for them at five-, four- and three-star levels. The duo stopped the clock on 65.45 seconds with every pole intact and that was four seconds quicker than the runner-up Khaled Almobty (KSA) and Spacecake could manage.