Michael Blake names Irish Show Jumping squad to defend Longines FEI Nations Cup Final title in Barcelona

Defending champions Ireland have named their squad for the 2021 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final, which takes place at Real Club De Polo in Barcelona from October 1 – 3.

This will be the 109th edition of CSIO Barcelona, ​​the oldest international sporting event in Spain and host venue for the Show Jumping competitions at the 1992 Olympic Games.

The Underwriting Exchange and Devenish-sponsored Irish Show Jumping celebrate their win on podium at the 2019 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP). (L to R) Paul O’Shea, Peter Moloney, Chef d’Equipe Rodrigo Pessoa, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor. (Photo: Sonya Hennessy)

Ireland won the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in dramatic fashion in 2019 – a result which also secured Olympic qualification. After the cancelation of the 2020 Final due to Covid, Ireland have had a two-year wait to defend their title and this year’s squad, named by team manager Michael Blake, features a mixture of youth and experience.

The Irish squad for the 2021 Longines FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona is:

Galway’s Michael Duffy with Zilton SL Z – owned by HMF Equestrian & Katherine Duffy
Mayo’s Michael G Duffy with Lapuccino 2 (ISH) – owned by Carl Hanley Sporthorses
Offaly’s Darragh Kenny with VDL Cartello – owned by Lorcan Gallagher and Heathman Farm LLC
Tipperary’s Denis Lynch with Cristello – owned by Onyx Consulting Ltd
Clare’s Eoin McMahon with Chacon 2 – owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze

A total of twenty one nations, ten from Europe, three from North America, three from South America, two from Middle East, two from Asia/Australasia, one from Africa and another from Eurasia in addition to Spain as the host country, are qualified to take part in this long-awaited edition.

All participating teams will take part in the opening competition in Barcelona on Friday October 1st. The top 10 teams will then qualify for the Final to be held on Sunday October 3rd while the remaining teams will take a place in the Challenge Cup Final on Saturday October 2nd.

The Irish Show Jumping team is sponsored by Devenish & The Underwriting Exchange
Equiline – Official athlete clothing supplier of Horse Sport Ireland