WHAT a fantastic weekend it was for Ireland at the three-star show at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain. Not only did the Irish show jumping team come out on top of the Nations Cup class at the fixture for the third year in a row, but Jessica Burke won the three-star 1.55m Andalucia Grand Prix, with Francis Derwin not far behind in third.
Team Ireland topped the podium in the three-star €50,000 1.50m Kar Sport Horses Nations Cup competition held at the Andalucia October Sunshine Tour on Friday afternoon. High-Performance Manager Jessica Kurten had selected her team as Derwin on Flexi K (ISH), Burke on Billy Fern, Dermott Lennon on the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Kinmar Right on Time (Aganix du Seigneur x Kinmar Dancing Queen by Dancing Boy, bred by Gerrard Marron) and Tom Wachman on Do It Easy.
First to go in round one, Derwin recorded a perfect clear round, as did Burke, while Lennon and Wachman each picked up four faults, with Wachman’s score being discarded. This gave Ireland a score of four at the end of the first half and put them into joint second place with the USA, while Italy took the lead on two faults.
Second time out, Derwin and Burke both completed without fault to record double clears, with Wachman also keeping a clean sheet this time round. Lennon repeated his first-round score of four faults, which was discarded. A zero score for the team in round two gave Ireland an overall score of four, handing them the win, with Burke and Billy Fern recording the fastest double clear of the day.
The USA’s second-round score of four added to their first-round score to give them a final tally of eight and second place, while first-round leaders Italy added eight to their score of two, putting them into third place on a total of 10.
Grand Prix glory
Sunday’s three-star 1.55m Andalucia Grand Prix was among the highlights of the show and attracted 59 starters. Of those, just six kept the poles intact over the first-round course designed by Javier Trenor to proceed to the jump-off, where only three jumped clear again to secure the podium places.
Galway girl Burke rode the fastest double clear with the 11-year-old mare Fly for You, who certainly did fly round the course to stop the clock in an unbeatable 34.56 seconds. Athlone native Derwin and the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Flexi K (Flex A Bill x Deeply Dippy K by Luidam, bred by Knightfield Stud) weren’t far behind in 35.36, which was good enough for third, as Jens Wawrauschek (GER) on Mava S came in just a fraction ahead in 35.34 to claim second place and divide the Irish pair. Niamh McEvoy and Olympic ‘GL’ ‘FVD’ placed 10th in the class.
Jessica Burke and Fly for You won the three-star 1.55m Andalucia Grand Prix at Vejer de la Frontera \ Sunshine Tour
Irish successes
Thursday’s two-star 1.35m speed class saw a win for Max Foley on HHS Othello (ISH), when they jumped the fastest clear from 66 starters in a time of 57.08. Niamh Devlin on HHS Ice Flo placed sixth, ahead of Michelle Kenny on HSC Renee in seventh.
Darragh Ryan rode Lady Blue du Pont Letot into eighth place in the day’s 51-strong three-star Royal Bliss Trophy 1.50m speed class.
Thursday’s two-star 1.40m speed class proved very popular and the 142 entries were divided. Derwin was runner-up in the first group with Parvati AEG, jumping clear in 61.20, only beaten by Mathieu Michot (CAN) on Gazelle de Coquerie (60.44). Moloney and Ukina finished fifth of 51 starters in the day’s one-star Young Horse six-year-old 1.25m two-phase special.
Friday was a good day for Derwin, as he rode Parvati AEG to win the two-star 1.45m speed class from a large start list of 91. Their clear round in 62.31 was more than a second faster than runner-up Matthew Sampson (GBR) on the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Latte Macchiato, who stopped the clock in 63.40.
Foley and HHS Mexico (ISH) placed seventh in the two-star 1.40m two-phase special class, while Gerard Campbell on Coldplay I came sixth in the two-star 1.30m two-phase special. Oliver Holden on Amaretto T was runner-up in the one-star 1.10m speed class.
On Saturday, the one-star Young Horse six-year-old 1.30m speed class saw Finney and Kinmar la Vida in sixth place.
Burke and BWE Windsor finished fourth in the three-star 1.50m La Equina Trophy two-phase class, ahead of Ryan on As You Want Z in sixth, meanwhile, Niamh McEvoy rode Rock’n Roll ter Putte into seventh place in the three-star 1.45m speed class.
Top-five placing
The day’s two-star 1.45m Stephex Grand Prix saw Derwin and Parvati AEG take another top-five placing in fifth, when they rode the fastest time of the jump-off, but picked up four faults in their quest to win.
Foley and HHS Othello (ISH) placed fourth in the two-star 1.35m two-phase special, while Ella Kenny and Merina Star were ninth in the one-star 1.20m Accumulator class.
On Sunday, Foley rode Illusion de Hus into second place in the two-star 1.40m two-phase special.
Devlin on HHS Ice Flo (ISH) placed fifth in Sunday’s two-star 1.35m speed class, while Campbell and Livio placed seventh in the two-star 1.25m two-phase special class, in which the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare BWE Valdi Semilly was runner-up ridden by Tilly Annis Abraham (ESP).