Super Swail successful in Spruce Meadows 5*

Conor Swail and Count Me In enjoyed a magical ‘Pan American’ weekend at Spruce Meadows, Calgary, winning a pair of classes at the CSI5* show.

World number six Swail and the horse who secured the Aga Khan trophy at the Dublin Horse Show after a thrilling jump-off last year were in imperious form at the Canadian venue.

On Friday, the pair were victorious in the 1.45m class, leading home an Irish one-two as Swail proved too quick for his rivals on the 16-year-old gelding owned by Sandy Lupton and Mannon Farm.

They stopped the clock in a time of 37.57 seconds, with Daragh Kenny second in a time of 38.75 seconds on board Arna ‘T Kruisfeld, owned by Reverie Sporthorses LLC .

Home rider Kara Chad filled the podium with Igor GPH in a time of 39.31 seconds.

Conor Swail (IRL) & Count Me In jumping to victory at the weekend © Spruce Meadows Media/Dave Chidley

The Friends of the Meadows (1.50m) competition was the final 5* event of the ‘Pan American’, presented by Rolex.

27 competitors took on the jump-off competition over the track designed by FEI Course Designer Anthony d’Ambrosio (USA). Six combinations went clear, but it was Swail and Count Me In who posted the fastest clear round, in a time of 34.10 seconds to take the victory.

It was another excellent class for Irish riders in general, with Paul O’Shea continuing his fine form in Canada with a fifth-place finish on board the Eye Candy Jumpers-owned Squirt Gun.

O’Shea had finished second in the big 1.60m Pan American Cup on Saturday evening with the Imerald Partners LLC and T Equestrian Farms LLC-owned Imerald Van ‘T Voorhof.

Also on Saturday, Ireland’s Richard Howley won the CSI5* 1.50m ranking class at the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco.

Partnering the 14-year-old Mansini Ltd, owned by HK Horses, Howley proved too fast for a star-studded field to land the spoils.

Finishing his clear round in a time of 60.06 seconds, the Sligo native held on to top spot ahead of world number one, Sweden’s Henrick von Eckermann, in 60.22 seconds on board Dzara Dorchival.

Brazil’s Francisco Jose Mesquita Musa completed the podium, with Catch Me Marathon.