Ireland’s senior jumpers finished as excellent runners-up at the five-star Longines League of Nations second leg in Ocala, Florida overnight.
Led by new High Performance Jumping Manager Jessica Kürten, the Irish quartet of Bertram Allen, Cian O’Connor, Tom Wachman and Shane Sweetnam were pipped by a German team consisting of the current Olympic and European champions.
The Irish finished on a final score of eight faults as two double clear efforts from O’Connor and Sweetnam were almost enough to take the honours.
In the end, it was Richard Vogel and Cloudio who kept their cool to seal victory for Germany on four faults, with Ireland second on eight and Belgium third on 12 faults.
After the near miss, Kürten was understandably delighted with her team’s performance and the result.
She said: “It was a great Longines League of Nations tonight with some strong teams and a tough track built by Alan Wade. We had a super first round with three clears and a great round from Tom Wachman with just one down.
“We then decided to save our younger rider for another day and the three lads went in for the second round.
“Bertram was unfortunate to have two down, and it dropped us down a little bit but Cian and Shane, coming in as last man, put us right back up into second place after producing great clear rounds to finish behind a very strong German team.
“I’m very proud of the team and onwards and upwards.”
Allen and his 10-year-old Qonquest De Rigo, owned by Aloga Stables, got the Irish off to the perfect start with a clear round inside the time before O’Connor – so long Ireland’s anchor but jumping here as the team’s second line rider – kept the momentum going with a clear of his own with Karlswood Partners’ Chatolinue PS.
Wachman was next in for Kürten’s team and he came home with just one pole down with Coolmore Showjumping’s Tabasco De Toxandria Z to keep Ireland very much in the mix at the head of affairs.
Wachman said: “He jumped a brilliant round and I was very happy with him. The pole down wasn’t his fault, I just had the clock in my head coming to it but he jumped great.
“I got to watch 10 or 12 rounds before I jumped and it was great to get Cian’s input after he had jumped before me. He told me it rode as it walked and he was right. Hopefully we can keep it going now.”
World number nine Sweetnam and his magnificent Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz, bred in Co. Galway, anchored in round one and they delivered exactly what was required with a third clear for the team as Ireland sat perfectly poised in pole position at the break.
With the format meaning there is no room for error as just three combinations jump in round two and Wachman and Tabasco De Toxandria Z the pair not jumping second time around, the pressure ramped up under the Florida lights.
Again Allen was pathfinder with Qonquest De Rigo but their clear from round one wasn’t replicated as two poles dropped for eight faults, leaving Ireland’s fate out of their own hands.
Germany kept up their end of the bargain with a faultless second round from Olympic champions Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 as leaders The Netherlands faltered and Ireland lay on eight faults, level with Belgium and one pole behind the leaders.
O’Connor, so often the man for the big occasion, kept Ireland’s hopes alive with a magnificent double clear with Chatolinue PS as the tension ramped up as it all came down to the final combinations.
Vogel and Cloudio did their part to complete the German victory before Sweetnam produced another magnificent clear with James Kann Cruz to ensure the podium finish for Ireland.
The result means Ireland jump to third place in the Longines League of Nations standings on 150 points, with the next leg back on European soil in Rotterdam this June.