Irish still chasing weekend win at Spruce Meadows

IRELAND’S show jumpers at the five-star show in Spruce Meadows, Canada have come agonisingly close to winning major classes this weekend, but so far have been held off by transatlantic riders.

Co. Down’s Conor Swail has come closest to victory, with no less than three runner-up places, while Tipperary’s Kevin Babington has managed a fourth.

Swail and Simba de la Roque were four tenths of a second off the pace of Venezuela’s Andres Rodriguez with Fifty Fifty on the opening day’s speed class, and later in the evening
the Irishman steered Grafton into second place in a similar speed class, this time beaten by seven hundredths of a second by Canadian star Eric Lamaze and Rosana du Park.

On Wednesday night, Swail and Simba de la Roque were again denied victory by fractions of a second, this time with the US veteran McLain Ward taking the trophy on HH Carlos Z in the 1m50 jump off class.

Last night, Swail had another top five place, finishing fourth on Grafton in a jump off competition that was won by the US rider Nick dello Joio with Contiki, while Kevin Babington and the Irish Sport Horse Mark Q also finished fourth in a separate class, the trophy this time going to Andres Rodriguez and Darlon van Groenhoeve.

Conor Swail