O’Connor and Breen brothers enjoy Arabian Nights

Lynch the King at two-star level again

It was a particularly fruitful week for Cian O’Connor at the lucrative five-star international show jumping event in Abu Dhabi, with the Olympic medallist posting three runner-up finishes in 24 hours over the weekend.

The Breen brothers, Shane and Trevor, were also mixing it with the big guns in UAE, making the long trip pay significant dividends.

As is his wont, O’Connor is freshening up his crop of top-tier horses and the Karlswood Stables supremo must be very excited about the future given the evidence of the past week.

The Meath-based Kildare man and Iron Man (photographed in action above) beat all bar Kevin Staut (FRA) and New Libero One d’Asschaut in Sunday’s President’s Cup, a 1.60m competition in which Shane Breen and Z7 Oilina were sixth.

There must have been a tinge of disappointment for Breen, as he missed the jump-off by virtue of one time fault.

Five made it through to the tie-breaker and O’Connor and Iron Man earned €33,000 with a second faultless round in 36.07 seconds, with Staut and his 12-year-old stallion leaving no doubt by stopping the clock on 34.79.

Earlier on, O’Connor brought the nine-year-old Gengis Kann de Londe to their second silver in 24 hours, in the 1.55m jumping competition, which was won by Khaled Almobty (KSA), piloting Davenport VDL.

They secured the middle berth of the podium thanks to a 40.52 clear round on the second go, while Trevor Breen and Luidam’s Warrior were fourth on 41.48.

On Saturday, O’Connor and his prodigious son of Kannan had also won a silver medal in a two-phase class on Saturday, won by Richard Vogel (GER) with Phenyo van het Keysersbos, with Trevor Breen rounding off a top-five berth once again with Luidam’s Warrior.

The latter pair were fifth into the arena and after going clear in the first round, slipped through the gears nicely against the clock to post another clear with a time of 29.12 seconds.

The winners were 14^th to go and burned rubber, registering an astonishing time of 24.75. O’Connor and Gengis were fifth-last in and while not able to challenge Vogel, earned the silver medal with a double clear and a time of 26.42.

On Sunday morning, Shane Breen was third in the two-star Grand Prix on BP Arctic Blue, with Britain’s Georgia Tame the winner on the Breen-bred BE Alcantara, who is also by their stallion, Colmar. And the Hickstead-based Tipperary athlete posted a top-five finish in the five-star Grand Prix qualifier on Friday night, in which O’Connor was sixth.

Victory in that speed class went to David Will (GER) with Zinedream stopping the clock on 60.90 seconds but Breen and Team Z7’s Z7 Oilina were very competitive with a clear in 62.26 to bag a considerable portion of the prize fund.

O’Connor was partnering Gengis Kann de Londe and they gave a glimpse of what was to come for the rest of the week, leaving every rail upright in a time of 63.71.

Meanwhile, Denis Lynch won his second two-star class in under a week, returning to the scene of his Grand Prix victory at Peelbergen with a triumph in the Grand Prix qualifier at the same venue on Thursday, this time riding King Blue.

Denis Lynch and King Blue at the victory presentation in Peelbergen on Thursday (Sportfot)

It was an easy course, with 21 combinations going clear. A dozen of those repeated that effort second time around but it was Lynch and his ten-year-old owned by Sara Lamyman that were by quickest by far, their time of 38.78 seconds more than a second a quarter better than that recorded by Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (BRA), who finished runner-up on Firefox Gem.

In Florida, Robert Blanchette made the podium at the three-star show at Wellington International on Friday, steering Chardonnay into third behind the American pair Kent Farrington, riding Myla, and Marilynn Little, with La Contessa.

The Irish pair posted a clear in the second round of the Grand Prix qualifier, with a time of 45.76, exactly a second off the winners. Cork athlete Shane Sweetnam and Coriaan van Klapscheut Z were hot on their heels in fourth, with Down native Conor Swail (My Lady Lavista) and Limerick pilot Paul O’Shea (Spy) also in the money in eighth and joint ninth respectively.

O’Shea then steered Hellcat and Primo CBI Cornet to fourth and fifth in the 1.45m Classic on Saturday night, illustrating the depth the Kildimo rider has at his disposal.

On the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour, Galwegian Jessica Burke grabbed third in the two-star Grand Prix in  Oliva on her super Irish Sport Horse Express Trend, who is owned and bred by Liam Nicholas. The duo were clear on the double to make the podium, their time of 38.60 beating everyone except winner Mariano Martinez Bastida (SPA) with Belano Vd Wijnhoeve Z, and Matthew Sampson (GBR), riding Pretty Pi’Que de’Luxe.

This came hot on the heels of Burke finishing fifth in a two-star jump-off class with Good Star du Bary on Saturday.

BREEDING

EXPRESS TREND (ISH) – 2010 gelding by Future Trend (OLD) out of Condios Express (ISH) by Condios (HOLST). Breeder and owner: Liam Nicholas. Rider: Jessica Burke (IRL).