Swail and O’Connor take three top ten places at Wellington

ON THE final weekend of Florida’s Winter Equestrian Festival, Irish riders Conor Swail and Cian O’Connor accounted for three top ten places in tonight’s (Thursday) competitions.

Co. Down-born Swail placed second in the 12th and concluding round of the Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup with Vanessa Mannix’s stallion Grand Cru vd Jijf Eiken, three quarters of a second off the pace of US Olympian Beezie Madden aboard the Belgian gelding Cortes C.

The Ulsterman also claimed a fourth place in today’s speed class at the five-star show with his own gelding Simba de la Roque, while Meath’s Cian O’Connor took sixth on Stall Gullik’s ten year-old Zazou. The class winner was Venezuela’s Andres Rodriguez, with Caballito.

Ireland is also represented at the Florida venue by Kevin Babington, Lorcan Gallagher, Darragh Kenny, Darragh Kerins, Richie Moloney, Paul O’Shea and Shane Sweetnam. The climax to the winter festival will be Saturday night’s 500,000 dollar Rolex Grand Prix.

Conor Swail