In-form Irish bid for further Longines League of Nations glory in Ocala

The Irish team, led by Michael Blake, of Cian O’Connor, Darragh Kenny, Daniel Coyle and Tom Wachman, who will compete at the Longines League of Nations in Ocala, USA

The Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping team’s Longines League of Nations campaign rolls into Ocala, Florida this weekend as Michael Blake’s men bid for further major success.

The world number-one ranked nation produced a flawless display when winning the first leg of the series in Abu Dhabi last month and, having won in Ocala in 2024, Blake is hoping for more of the same.

It is a completely different quartet to that which was victorious in Abu Dhabi but such is the strength in depth at his disposal, the Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Show Jumping Manager has called upon yet another top-class team.

Paris Olympians Daniel Coyle and Cian O’Connor will be joined by fellow Olympian Darragh Kenny and the in-form Tom Wachman for the competitive leg as they face the world’s best.

Coyle rides Incredible, five star winner at Dublin and London among a string of excellent results, and O’Connor will be on board Bentley De Sury, recent winner of a five-star World Cup.

Kenny pilots Eddy Blue, who himself was successful in a five star World Cup over Christmas in London, while Wachman will partner Tabasco De Toxandria Z, who was fourth in the five star Grand Prix in Wellington recently.

“It’s a different four combinations for Ocala, and that highlights just how deep the talent is among Irish show jumping at the moment,” Blake said.

“We were hopeful in Abu Dhabi and that was a magnificent performance so I suppose we need to live up to that here in Ocala but I’m very happy with how the lads have been performing with these particular horses.

“They are four riders who are riding as well as anyone in the world at the moment, you can see that by the results they keep producing. Obviously it’s going to be tough, every Nations Cup is tough, and the Longines League of Nations adds an extra layer of pressure, but as I always say, we love that pressure. This is where we want to be, competing for podiums at the highest level.

“It’s a long season to come and we’ve gotten off to the best possible start – the final in Barcelona is where we’re aiming, especially after our Abu Dhabi win, but we are focused now on Ocala and putting our best foot forward this weekend.”

The Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping team, in alphabetical order, jumping in the Longines League of Nations, Ocala is as follows:

• Derry’s Daniel Coyle with Incredible, owned by Ariel Grange
• Offaly’s Darragh Kenny with Eddy Blue, owned by Carola A. Sollak
• Meath’s Cian O’Connor with Bentley De Sury, owned by Karlswood Partners
• Tipperary’s Tom Wachman with Tabasco De Toxandria Z, owned by Coolmore Showjumping

The competition begins at 8.30pm Irish time and all the Ocala action will be live on FEI TV. Horse Sport Ireland will be providing live updates on our social media channels throughout the night on Saturday.