Moloney closes week 10 of Florida Festival with 1st and 3rd places

Richie Moloney and Alsvid at Wellington yesterday. Picture: Sportfot

WITH Cork’s Shane Sweetnam having opened Week Ten of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida with a win, it was left to Kilkenny’s Richie Moloney to close proceedings last night (Sunday) with both a first and third place.

Moloney qualified two horses for the jump-off in the Suncast 1m50 Championship Jumper Classic, taking the lead first with Equinimity LLC’s Elouise de Muze in 38.45 seconds to eventually finish third. Sixteen-year-old Joao Victor Castro of Brazil briefly took over in 38.25 seconds with Wamira, but settled for second when Moloney returned with his next mount, Equinimity LLC’s Alsvid, last to go, to secure the win in 36.94 seconds.

Moloney won this same 1m50 class on week ten in 2013 with the Irish Sport Horse Slieveanorra and had the added inspiration to defend his title this year. “I just remembered that I won it last year, so I was a little bit motivated to do it again, and I wore the same jacket,” Moloney pointed out.

Class winner, Alsvid, is a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Escudo I x Azur and Elouise de Muze is a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Nabab de Reve x Darco.

“She is pretty green and this is her first 1.50m this year, so I was very happy with her,” Moloney stated. “It is her first time to go that quick in the jump-off, and she was close enough.The second one, I probably would not have gone as quick with, except that I knew I wasn’t in the lead anymore with the other,” Moloney laughed. “He was very good. He is a horse that I have had since I started the job with Equinimity, and he is a lovely horse to work with. They have owned him since he was five as far as I know, and he is always knocking on the door, so he was due a result. It is nice for him.”

Moloney has had a good Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, including a fourth place finish with the Irish team in week eight’s $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup, aboard Carrabis Z.

Shane Sweetnam with the Irish Sport Horse Solerina opened the week at Wellington on Wednesday with victory in the $34,000 1m45 speed class.