Irish eventers with ground to make up but optimistic about cross-country

Austin O’Connor riding Colorado Blue ( Photos: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)

O’Connor leads the way with promise of best to come

The Agria Irish Eventing team lies in 11th after the opening dressage phase of competition at the Olympic Games today.
Dag Albert’s squad of Sarah Ennis, Susie Berry and Austin O’Connor finished with an accumulated tally of 102.70 penalty points to be a little further back than they would have liked among the 16 competing nations.
However, the cross-country is the traditional strength of the Irish and given the predicted testing nature of the tomorrow’s track, and the show jumping still to come on Monday, there is optimism within the camp that they can make up some places tomorrow.
This has been the trend as Ireland travelled to Paris off the back of some excellent results, winning the home Nations Cup in Millstreet earlier in the campaign, before a third-place finish at Aachen most recently.
And Austin O’Connor, who scored Ireland’s best Eventing dressage score of the day with Colorado Blue, was among those beating the drum of positivity when declaring that the best is yet to come from Team Ireland.
The Corkman, competing in his fourth Olympics, finished on 31.7 for his dressage test to lie in 28th individually overnight.
“I was trying to break the 30 barrier, but it’s improved eight marks from Tokyo, and I think a lot of his work was real quality,” O’Connor enthused. “A few of the changes didn’t quite come off as we’d hoped but other than that he didn’t put a foot wrong. He tried his best, and bring on tomorrow.”
Howth rider, Sarah Ennis was the Irish pathfinder at the Palace of Versailles on Irish Sport Horse Action Lady M, who is co-owned by Susan Macken and Andrew Cox, with Cox also having bred the ten-year-old.

 Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M (ISH)

Action Lady M began well but unfortunately became distracted by the type of activity and atmosphere that is unique to the Olympic Games.
Ennis could not mask her disappointment at the end of the routine, though she had showcased all her considerable horsemanship to get her horse back on an even keel before scoring 38 penalty points for 54th.
“I’m a little disappointed, she saw the big screen and the cameras move across the diagonal and she just stopped,” said the Tokyo Olympian.
“She’s sharp. She’s not sharp that she’d do anything to you but she’s sharp that she’d look. I call her The Gawker. Once she gawks at something, you can’t soften her. She just has locked onto it. It’s like she’s supersonic hearing.
“She had a real look when we got down into the corner where the big screen is. And the thing is, when she has a look she has a real look.
“She’s only 10, though, and it’s her first Olympics, she’ll have another when she’s 14 and I’m really proud of her. I love her. She’s a real mare. She has a huge personality but go in and give her a Polo and she’s grand.”
Cox and Macken were in attendance.
“It’s so lovely for them. It’s been a long road to get here and a nerve-wracking one as everything had to go right. But they’re thrilled to be here. To have bred her and still own her and come on this journey, it’s been an incredible journey with both of them. They’ve been incredible to me and so supportive.”
Berry sits in 32nd after contributing a solid round of 33 penalty points with Wellfields Lincoln.
“It’s a surreal experience but I’m thrilled with him – he can be a spooky horse but he felt quite alert today,” Berry stated. “It was like he knew there was something different about today. His trot work felt beautiful in there and maybe in his canter he felt a little tense through his back so we maybe lost a few moves that would ordinarily come naturally to him.

Susie Berry on Wellfields Lincoln

“It’s his first time being in an atmosphere like that so I’m very happy with him. It’s very dense in there, very atmospheric, and the grandstands are so tall that the horses seem to be looking up a lot, but it’s an incredible arena.”
With rain falling throughout the day in Versailles, softer underfoot conditions on the cross country course will play a role tomorrow, and it is a test O’Connor is relishing.
“We look ahead now to tomorrow – the ground is getting nice and soft and it’s going to change the complexity of competition a bit so hopefully the blood horses will come to the fore – that’s the plan anyway,” O’Connor declared.
“It’s going to be a tough test – the designer is a very clever course designer. Fair but clever, and it will be intense. It’s nine minutes, it’s going to be quick. It will be good, safe ground, on the softer side, and it will suit some horses better than others.
“My lad has proven himself in all sorts of ground, but we still have to be on the ball and give it a go. The time will be tight, the intensity of it – we’ll have to be going from flagfall to make the time. It will be all about who’s got enough petrol at the seven-and-a-half, eight-minute mark.
“It’s great to be here, great to be representing Team Ireland for my fourth Games, it’s a great group now and, while today hasn’t totally gone our way it hasn’t been for the lack of trying on everybody’s behalf – and there’s another two days to come!”
Ennis concurred.
“It’s going to be a proper test,” she added. “It looks really nice. I think it will cause trouble. “The course builder has been clever and I think he’s tried to baffle us a little bit, there are loads of options, and when you add the speed in I think it will catch a lot of people out.
“I’ve never seen a cross-country course like it. It’s amazing. The venue, the view. You’ll never get bored to walking it.
“The course builder has been clever and I think he’s tried to baffle us a little bit, there are loads of options, and when you add the speed in I think it will catch a lot of people out. But I’m really looking forward to it and I think she’ll perform well.”
British rider Laura Collett is the overall individual leader with London 52 on 17.50 faults while Great Britain also lead the team standings with a tally of 66.70 faults.

BREEDING

ACTION LADY M (ISH) – 2014 mare by Pilot Blue (KWPN) out of Action G (ISH) by Acorado (HOLST). Breeder: Susanne Macken. Owner: Susanne Macken and Andrew Cox. Rider: Sarah Ennis (IRL)