THE Irish Junior show jumping team scored the team gold medal at the FEI Jumping European Championships in Riesenbeck in spectacular style on Thursday evening followed by a silver medal for the Young Riders on Friday evening.
The top spot on the Junior podium was secured after the third Irish rider - Alice Wachman - jumped, such was their lead in the class. In their first year in charge, team manager Denis Flannelly and youth liaison officer Liz Brennan, selected the Junior team of Alice Wachman (Killarney), Tabitha Kyle (BP Goodfellas), Paddy Reape (Mr Rocky Blue), Jack Kent (Castlefield Kingston) and Emily Moloney (Temple Alice) and their faith in the youngsters was justified when they landed the gold medal on a final score of 6.99.
The team were in fifth position after Tuesday’s first speed round. Flannelly choose Reape, Kyle, Wachman and Moloney as his four team members after that round and all four were flawless in Wednesday’s first Nations Cup class to shoot Ireland into the lead.
Final round
That was a lead they maintained throughout Thursday’s final. First to jump was Reape and Mr Rocky Blue, bred in Co Down by George McCullough, and they were unfortunate at the wall for four faults.
Next into the arena was Kyle - who was celebrating her 18th birthday - and BP Goodfellas, owned and bred by Ballypatrick Stables in Co Tipperary, and they did what they have done all week, delivering a flawless round of jumping. It meant that a clear round from Wachman would secure the gold medal for Ireland, with closest pursuers The Netherlands more than a fence behind.
At her first European championship, Wachman and the Coolmore Showjumping-owned Killarney delivered yet another flawless clear to secure the gold medal and the Irish could start celebrating.
Although the team medal was in the bag, last to go Emily Moloney also has her eyes on individual glory and she once again bolstered her chances with another clear aboard the 13-year-old grey gelding Temple Alice, bred by Susan McDonald. This sees her sits in the individual silver medal position ahead of Saturday’s final on a score of 1.47.
Kyle is less than a fence off the gold medal on 3.27 in eighth place, just ahead of Wachman (4.33) in 10th and Reape (16.25) in 14th place. The individual final kicks off at 1.30pm (Irish time) and will be streamed live on Clip My Horse.
The Netherlands finished in second place on a score of 12.79, with Belgium finishing third on 20.60.
Proud
Flannelly said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with the performances of these athletes and their horses this week and delighted that they have won gold. It’s not just them I’m proud of, though. I’m so proud of their coaches, their team around them both here and at home, and the families who support them in every respect on this journey to help them achieve this today.
“I must also thank Liz Brennan for all her hard work in her role as support to me and support to the athletes and their families. I always felt that a selection panel was beneficial to our teams, and I’d like to thank Denis Lynch for his assistance with team selection and Sally Anne Tobin.”
Young Riders
On Friday afternoon, it was the turn of Michael Blake’s Young Rider squad, who started the day in the gold medal position thanks to three clears in Thursday’s team first round, but they were just 0.11 penalties ahead of Belgium. Thursday’s clears came from Tom Wachman with Obora’s Laura, owned by Coolmore Showjumping, Tim Brennan and Diadema Della Caccia and Niamh McEvoy aboard Richard Kirby’s BP Rocket Man (Stakkato Gold x Quidam Junior I), bred by Austin Broderick. Fourth team member Coen Williams was the discard score with 14 faults aboard Floris R Z.
In the final, Wachman got the team off to the perfect start with a clear round, before Williams also jumped clear but picked up three time penalties, opening the door for Belgium. When Brennan faulted at the middle part of the triple combination, their fate was then in Belgian hands – a clear from their last line rider would secure them the gold medal. Leon Brutsaert duly delivered with Corleone Tour Vidal when clearing all the fences, picking up a single time fault which was good enough to see them finish on a score of 5.72 ahead of Ireland on 7.61. Britain took bronze on 24.05.
McEvoy was all class when last to go in the competition, jumping another foot-perfect clear round to secure the silver medal for Ireland and put herself into fifth place individually ahead of Sunday’s final on 1.85. She leads teammates Tom Wachman in sixth and Tim Brennan in seventh place. The top seven are all within a fence of the gold medal.