Pride in abundance as Ireland second in Longines EEF Series Final

The Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping are CSIO4* Longines EEF Series runners-up after finishing second following a jump-off in Warsaw this afternoon.

Led by Taylor Vard in the Polish capital, the team of Jessica Burke with Express Trend (ISH), Jenny Rankin with Ibiza, Seamus Hughes Kennedy with ESI Rocky (ISH) and Francis Derwin with Flexi K (ISH) jumped brilliantly throughout but were just beaten into second place.

The Irish finished on a score of eight faults, level with Italy after a dramatic afternoon of jumping, with Germany in third on 12 faults.

It had come right down to the wire with Italy close to sealing the win in round two before a final fence pole down for their anchor rider meant the jump-off would be needed.

Hughes Kennedy performed brilliantly in against the clock, setting a clear round time of 42.42 seconds on ESI Rocky, but Piergiorgio Bucci and Hantano clocked a time of 41.73 to take the honours.

It wasn’t to be for Ireland, and Vard was disappointed yet understandably delighted with his team’s performance after what has been an excellent campaign in the series, which began in April.

He said: “We’re devastated here, we really are. To come that close after such a brilliant performance is a tough one to take right now, but they were all magnificent and Seamie did an outstanding job in the jump-off.

“We actually could have won it earlier and then it looked like we had lost it before they gave us that lifeline. And Seamie was so fast under massive pressure but the Italian combination had that bit extra.

“It’s a very young team, and they have performed so well. As I said, we’re very disappointed but Michael Blake was on the phone immediately after and he was delighted with them all.

“We had been written off for this in the build-up too – nobody was giving us a chance – and that shows what character this team has and how talented and determined they are.”

The Irish team, led by Taylor Vard, who finished second in the Longines EEF Series Final in Warsaw

Ireland lay in second at the break, just behind Italy on time, with a score of zero after all four riders had jumped.

That was thanks to clear rounds from Burke, Rankin and Derwin, and the team were the penultimate nation to jump in round two.

First back into the arena, Burke and Express Trend were extremely unlucky to finish on four faults, only knocking some shrubbery at the front of the water.

Rankin and Ibiza jumped next, and they had one down for four faults as the plank dropped at fence nine, the Warsaw jump.

Hughes Kennedy and his Irish Sport Horse kept the pressure on the Italians with his first clear of the day, the pair looking supremely confident throughout.

That pressure told on Italian rider Emanuele Camilli as he dropped an early pole on his way to eight faults and Ireland were firmly back in the gold medal hunt.

Derwin and Flexi K had an uncharacteristic eight faults as Ireland’s anchor, meaning a clear round for Piergiorgio Bucci and Hantano, who weren’t needed to jump in round one after Italy’s three clears, would seal it.

It looked as though Italy would secure the win until the very final fence but the pair knocked it and the two nations were sent to a jump off, with Italy victorious.