Down athlete heads septet of Irish four-star winners
Conor Swail secured the first three major international classes at Desert Circuit 10, the four-star show in Thermal, on a week in which there were four-star victories too, at 1.45m and higher, for Shane Sweetnam, Michael Duffy, Mikey Pender, Niamh McEvoy, Harry Allen and Robert Blanchette.
A highlight of Swail’s scintillating hat-trick was that they were achieved with three different horses, none of which is a stranger to the winner’s enclosure.
The Darragh Cross native kicked things off on Wednesday in the Legacy Hunters & Jumpers speed class with the indomitable Theo 160, making nothing of being the pathfinder to blitz to victory in the 1.45m contest at Desert International Horse Park.
The much-loved combo glided around Peter Grant’s course without error and in a time of 61.50 seconds and it was Swail himself who proved the nearest challenger, guiding Casturano to the silver medal in 63.44 – a lovely warm-up for later in the week.
“He is very nervous of traffic,” Swail noted of Theo, who is owned by Mannon Farm. “He’s actually much happier [going early in the order]. He’s been wonderful the whole circuit. Last week, he was second and third in two classes. He was unlucky not to win something last week. So, it’s great that he went in and jumped so well today again.
“Honestly, the round itself was one of those rounds that I didn’t really feel that I could do any more than what I did. “Theo was fantastic. All the numbers came up as well as they could. I just felt that if I had to go in and do it another 10 times or 50 times, I couldn’t have improved it. So, I was very happy with wherever I finished up.
“I’m very happy with Stan as well,” the Down pilot added of Casturano. “He jumped a very good round. Normally, I save him for the Grand Prix, but this week, I’m just going to do a couple of smaller classes. This is going to be my last show before the [the 2026 FEI World Cup Finals in Fort Worth], so that’s his sort of plan this week. I was pleased that he jumped great too, and he sort of enjoyed himself.”
That decision would pay off but first, Swail enjoyed a victory gallop 24 hours later with Oliver Glancy-owned Clonterm Obolensky (ISH), who was bred in Ashbourne by Brian Duff.
This time, it was a 1.50m jump-off class and the margins were much tighter. Kyle King (USA) and Kayenne Z held the upper hand with a clear in 40.28 when the Irish pairing sauntered into the Californian ring. Swail used the advantage of having had a previous outing with Theo, which resulted in two rails down but a quick time, to impose the necessary tweaks and go clear in a time of 40.03.
“I saw Kyle’s time, and I already had an idea with my first round with Theo how quick I needed to go,” said Swail. “I thought [Clonterm Obolensky] did very well. Fences one, two, three, I think I was way quicker than the rest of the horses, and after that, everything came up lovely. I took an extra stride to the last just to make sure that we jumped it well. I’m absolutely delighted with him. He was super in the jump-off. It was a quick enough jump-off, but thankfully, I was able to use his stride and his scope there to my advantage.
“The horse is very, very talented as a young horse. I was lucky enough that the boys thought it’d be a good idea to send him over [from Ireland] to me to develop him more. He has all the ability and scope. He is really, honestly, a championship horse. This year, we actually started off just the last few weeks with him, and he had a good week last week. He jumped in two classes last week in the CSI 3*, and he was clear in them both. So again, we’re going in with good form this week.”
The pair would finish the week with another commendable result, securing sixth in Saturday’s FEI Grand Prix won by King and Kayenne Z.
That brought Swail’s stunning roll of success to an end, after he had made it three-in-a-row the previous day with Casturano in a 1.45m stroll for the high-class operator owned by Conall Murray, ahead of a highly anticipated trip to Texas.
“This is his last show before the World Cup Final,” said Swail. “The idea of this week was basically just do a couple smaller classes and be competitive. He has done nothing but CSI 5* after CSI5* grands prix. He actually has jumped clear in his last five CSI5* grands prix. So, his form has been incredible.
“I thought it’d just be nice for him to be able to drop down a little bit and be competitive, because that first day in the World Cup is a speed. So, right off the bat, he has to be very quick and efficient. Thankfully, he’s had a good week. He was second the first day and then he won today. So, I’m very happy.”
Ten of those that recorded blemish-free rounds initially returned for the jump-off but only three managed to repeat that feat, with Swail and Casturano stopping the clock in 42.14 to prevail by just nine-hundredths of a second from Keri Potter (USA), with King Of Kannan.
“The jump-off track, I felt I didn’t do it very well to be honest,” the successful pilot reported. “Nothing really showed up the way I would have liked. So, I thought I did a very poor job, but again, thankfully, because I have a lot of quality with Stan, we still made it around clear and just quick enough.”
Meanwhile on Thursday, Shane Sweetnam was also victorious in America, this time on the south east coast in Florida, as the Castlemagner athlete and Coriaan van Klapscheut Z secured their second international victory of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) season after winning the $116,100 Adequan WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 at Wellington International.
With only nine to return from a 49-combo line-up, Sweetnam and his 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding sailed to victory, making sure with a no-holds-barred sprint to the final fence to post a clear in 34.53 seconds.
“He’s a quick horse, Christian [Kukuk] probably did fewer numbers in that line, but Coriaan was faster over the ground,” said Sweetnam, who has had the ride on the gelding he owns together with Voquest, LLC, since the middle of 2024. “We started with a nice rhythm and had a good turn to the double. Then I did the leave-out, though; the last jump was a bit of a flyer. Once he zoned in on it, I knew we’d be okay.
“He got some really good results last year as well, but he was still learning. This year, I found that he’s a lot more mature. Where he learns is in the ring. He’s got a very good ring IQ, so anytime he goes in, he understands when he’s jumped clear. The more rounds I do, the better he gets.”
On Friday, Michael Duffy joined the party. The Turloughmore jockey would certainly not have been inconvenienced by the rain in the Defiant Whisky speed class and neither was Mr Cornike, the eye-catching and hugely promising nine-year-old gelding who left all the poles in their cups in a time of 63.33.
That was enough to defeat Paris Sellon (USA) with Calida Z, who were right on their tails with a clear in 63.67.
Tom Wachman rounded out the top five with Hawaii.
On Sunday, Duffy registered another lovely double clear with Mr Cornike to record a fourth-place finish of 40 contestants behind Mark Bluman (COL) and S & l Hello Sunshine in a 1.50m two-round class in which the top 12 returned.
The duo narrowly missed out on a podium, Nicola Philippaerts going seven-hundredths of a second quicker second time around with Rolex Ter Leydonck (41.3).
Back in Europe, Mikey Pender steered Catherine Walsh’s Starfield Brighteye (ISH) to victory in a 1.50m jump-off class in Vejer de la Frontera on Sunday.
The sixth leg of the Andalucía Sunshine Tour swing was a fruitful one for Irish competitors, with Pender putting the cherry on top by securing first prize on the final day with the progressive nine-year-old bred in Westmeath by Lino Orlandi.
A dozen combinations participated in the tiebreaker but Pender and the Luidam gelding’s efforts brooked no argument, removing all doubt by scoring with more than two seconds to spare
The Castledermot native concluded the week by coming fourth in the Stephex Grand Prix with the Marion Hughes-bred HHS Cyprus (ISH). Only six combinations qualified for the jump-off in the 1.55m class but after a brilliant opening clear, Pender and his 10-year-old partner knocked a rail in the decider.
They were the fastest of the four-faulters, however, and thus secured considerable prize money, with victory going to the Brazilian Stephan de Freitas Barcha, with Dinozo Imperio Egipcio.
Niamh McEvoy maintained her good run of form when combining with another nine-year-old, Miro NS to score with a degree of comfort in the 1.50m class on Saturday. The duo stopped the timers in 35.18 seconds to cruise ahead of Rogier Linssen (NED), riding Commander Lux.
Dermott Lennon and Tim Brennan slotted into the top five of Thursday’s Hiptotels Trophy, a 1.50m speed class with 14 jumping efforts.
Victory went to Spaniard Kevin Gonzalez De Zarate Fernandez with Chinixen, after the duo stopped the clock in a time of 68.10 to the excitement of the home supporters.
Dermott Lennon finished fourth with the Harry Marshall-bred Irish Sport Horse Millview Cicero, who left all the obstacles intact and clocked 70.10. That was 0.34 seconds faster than the time recorded by Brennan and Diadema della Caccia.
McEvoy also jumped clear in that class but got closer to the major ribbons on Friday, when guiding Jargon DN to the silver medal position in a similar contest.
A big field took to the Don Antonio Arena once more and it was a strong performance by the Tyrone tyro and her 12-year-old grey to go clear in 66.75, splitting the Spanish pair of Javier Gonazález Fraga, with Sonic JGF, and Álvaro Gonazález De Zarate Fernandez, with Casa Diva PS.
Harry Allen also got on the board on a super Friday for Irish athletes, the young Enniscorthy pilot showcasing all his class on board Edison de Hus in a four-star ranking class in Bedizzole.
The duo could not be denied at Scuderia La Caccia, proving faultless over two rounds but also possessing the necessary gears to take the spoils from Anthony Bourquard (SUI) with Festival Semilly.
There were 14 protagonists in the tiebreaker but the relentlessness of Allen and his 12-year-old son of Conrad were too much for everyone, their time of 36.75 on the second visit making it a very straightforward affair, with the runners-up well back on 38.67.
Back in Florida, it was fitting that there was an Irish winner of Wednesday’s Grand Prix Qualifier at Live Oak International in Ocala, as the 1.50m speed class was a fundraiser for the Kevin Babington Foundation.
Victory went to Robert Blanchette and Chardonnay, who led home an Irish 1-2 in the Grand Prix Ring, Frano Derwin the nearest challenger with the Knightfield Stud-bred Flexi K (ISH).
A field of 35 entered the 1.50m speed class and it proved very competitive, with the top three inside half a second of one another.
When the smoke cleared however, it was Blanchette and his admirable 15-year-old mare that stood tallest, clearing the obstacles in 61.55 seconds, compared to the 61.91 clocked by Derwin and his 13-year-old gelding.
The Athlone rider and his consistent ally managed to finish ahead of their conquerors in the show-ending Grand Prix, bagging $40,000 as runners-up to Aaron Vale (USA) with Gray’s Inn.
Derwin and Flexi K posted a time of 44.52 to see off six of the returning septet in the jump-off but Vale’s standard of 44.06 was unbeatable.
Blanchette and Chardonnay were just behind their Irish compatriots in 44.75, which was good enough for the bronze, with Daniel Coyle and Incredible recording another double clear for fourth.
BREEDING
CLONTERM OBOLENSKY (ISH) – 2016 stallion by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of She Has The Lux (ISH) by Lux Z (HANN). Breeder: Brian Duff, Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Owner: Oliver Raymond Glancy. Rider: Conor Swail (IRL).
STARFIELD BRIGHTEYE (ISH) – 2017 gelding by Luidam (KWPN) out of Starfield Primavera (ISH) by Vivaldo van het Costerveld (BWP). Breeder: Lino Orlandi, Co Westmeath. Owner: Catherine Walsh. Rider Michael Pender (ISH)
HHS CYPRUS (ISH) – 2016 gelding by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of HHS Acorado (ISH) by Acorado (HOLST). Breeder: Marion Hughes. Owner: Bravo Hughes Ltd. Rider: Michael Pender (IRL).
MILLVIEW CICERO (ISH) – 2014 gelding by Cicero Z Van Paemal (BWP) out of Royal Dutch (KWPN) by Oklund (KWPN). Breeder: Harry Marshall, Ballyclare, Co Antrim. Owner: Bronte Stables Ltd. Rider: Dermott Lennon (IRL) (IRL).
FLEXI K (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Flex A Bill (ISH)[TIH] out of Deeply Dippy K (ISH) by Luidam (KWPN). Breeder: Knightfield Stud, Co. Kildare. Owner: Kerry Anne LLC. Rider: Francis Derwin (IRL)
Photos
Conor Swail: DIHP/High Desert Sport Photo/Megan Giese Media
Shane Sweetnam: Wellington International/Sportfot/Cassidy Klein
Harry Allen: Scuderia La Caccia
Robert Blanchette: Live Oak International