For Irish equestrians, there’s no bigger week. For the Irish senior jumpers, there’s no bigger afternoon than the Friday of the Dublin Horse Show.
The Olympic Games come around in four-year cycles, as does the FEI World Championships. Two majors, rightly identified as primary targets for Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Show Jumping Manager Michael Blake and Ireland’s senior riders.
It’s now three years since a home win in the Nations Cup of Ireland for the Aga Khan trophy. Since the memorable win when Conor Swail and Count Me In delivered the goods in a jump-off versus France in 2022, Ireland have hit the proverbial crossbar at home.
Runner-up to an imperious Swiss performance in 2023 and second again behind a classy American display 12 months ago, it’s high time for a return to the middle section of the RDS podium.
“We’re always magnanimous in victory and defeat,” says Blake. “But we’re very competitive – we go to every Nations Cup aiming to win, that’s the simplest way to put it.
“We have an excellent structure and pathway from our youth programme through the EEF Series and into senior Nations Cups – it’s the only way to continue to achieve what we have internationally.
“You look at the results we’ve had over the last few weeks, the Young Riders and Juniors winning multiple medals at the Europeans in Riesenbeck, and then just last week in Le Mans with the Ponies. A team silver added to individual gold and bronze – it’s phenomenal.
“That said, all roads do tend to lead to Dublin and our home Nations Cup for that famous gold trophy – this year is no different and I hope we’ve selected a squad who can win it back for us.”
Blake has chosen a fearsome fivesome – emerging, but now established talents, Seamus Hughes Kennedy with his Irish Sport Horse ESI Rocky joins fellow young gun Tom Wachman with Tabasco De Toxandria Z in the five after the pair have delivered in spades already this summer.
If Hughes Kennedy and Wachman are the young guns, Denis Lynch, Daragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor are the established veterans. Lynch rides Vistogrand, Kenny with Eddy Blue and O’Connor will partner Bentley De Sury.
Choosing four from that five is an unenviable task, and Blake won’t be drawn on who the lucky four will be until later in the week.
He adds: “It’s a headache, but it’s a very good headache to have. All five riders are top class, they’re elite. And all five horses are just as talented, so it’s a tough decision but a welcome decision.
“We’ve enjoyed lots of success this season and all five of these lads have been part of that. We’ve won legs of the Longines League of Nations in Abu Dhabi, been fourth at the European Championship and won major five-star Cups at the likes of La Baule, and these lads have all contributed to that success.
“Regardless of who the four are, they’ll be pulling together with one goal in mind – to win the Aga Khan.”
Not one to dwell on former glories, Blake is reticent to look back on Ireland’s 2022 home win, but there is a twinkle in his eye when pressed on that famous jump-off victory, the celebratory bag of chips in Dublin city afterwards, and the triumphant homecoming in Tuamgraney, Co. Clare.
“Obviously it was fantastic – it’s a career highlight,” Blake continues.
“And yes, that evening a couple of the guys from the office in Horse Sport Ireland went for a bag of chips afterwards, which was actually lovely because there are so many people behind the scenes who contribute to days like that and we had a great bit of craic!
“There was a bit of a formal celebration the next night, with the lads’ families all there, which was a fantastic night. And then, of course, bringing the Aga Khan home to Co. Clare was marvellous. The turnout was incredible, which made it really special.”
Which begs the question – will we be heading back to Tuamgraney again this year?
“There’s a long way to go before that, but we’ll certainly be giving it everything we’ve got on Friday to get our trophy back.”