Two weekend wins for O’Connor at Chantilly

IRELAND’S Olympic Bronze Medallist Cian O’Connor took two wins on the final day (Sunday) of the five star show in Chantilly, France this weekend.

Riding Beverley Widdowson’s 12 year-old gelding Unique against the clock in the 1m45 Prix Cavalassur this morning, the Meath-based rider outpaced Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann with Toulouse 66 by a comfortable two seconds to take the trophy.

Later, O’Connor again tasted victory when he beat a field of 45 combinations to clinch the Seven Year-Old Final with his own gelding Gain Line, finishing just ahead of France’s Thierry Rozier and the mare Sakann in a 12 horse jump-off.

Elsewhere this weekend, Ireland’s Andrew Bourns took first place with the Irish Sport Horse Gatsby in the opening competition at Bromont’s three-star show in Canada, while in England on Saturday Dave Quigley was runner-up in the Grand Prix at the two-star show at Keysoe, losing out to Britain’s Lance Whitehouse and Rhodos in the jump-off.

In dressage, Irish rider Roland Tong was second in the Grand Prix Kur at Deaville in France yesterday, riding Pompidou.