BERTRAM Allen and Pacino Amiro (ISH) led a one-two for Ireland in the five-star 1.50m jump-off class at Rotterdam on Saturday, with Tom Wachman placing second on Obora’s Laura. Just 10 of the 35 starters jumped clear in the first round to get into the decider, where seven of them managed to remain fault-free for a second time.
Allen’s super time of 37.88 proved unbeatable and he took the winner’s prize of €7,500 with the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Pacino Amiro (Pacino (BWP) x Carnone Dancing Queen (ISH) by NC Amiro (AES)), bred by Simon Scott in Co Donegal and owned by Ballywalter Stables, who was making his five-star comeback in fine style, with Wachman a close second on 38.16 for the €6,000 runner-up prize.
League of Nations
The 76th edition of CHIO Rotterdam was held from June 19th to 22nd and saw some of the best horse and rider combinations in the world take on show jumping courses at the five-star fixture, which also catered for dressage enthusiasts.
Ireland was among 10 nations to take part in Friday’s Longines League of Nations competition at Rotterdam over a testing 1.60m track. Michael Blake had selected his team as Bertram Allen on Qonquest De Rigo, Tom Wachman on Tabasco De Toxandria Z, Seamus Hughes Kennedy on ESI Rocky (ISH) and Cian O’Connor on Iron Man.
Round one saw first in for Ireland, Bertram Allen on Qonquest de Rigo, have one fence down plus one time-penalty to finish on five faults. Tom Wachman was next with Tabasco de Toxandria Z, who had a clear jumping round, but incurred just two time-penalties. Seamus Hughes Kennedy and the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold x Clonaslea by For Pleasure, bred by Ennisnag Stud and owned by Clare Hughes) finished on four faults, while anchorman Cian O’Connor and Iron Man incurred 12 faults, which was the discard score for the round. The team total at the halfway point was 11, which put Ireland in joint fourth place along with USA, behind The Netherlands and France, both on five faults and Great Britain on eight faults at that stage.
The best eight teams proceeded to round two and, with only three riders to jump, O’Connor stood down for Ireland. Allen finished the second round on eight faults, while Wachman and Hughes Kennedy both rode fantastic rounds and only picked up one time-penalty each, giving a team total of 10 for the round and 21 overall, putting them in sixth place at the finish.
The Netherlands took first place on a score of 10, followed by France in second on 13 and Great Britain in third on 16. Belgium placed fourth on 18, with the United States in fifth on 19, ahead of Ireland in sixth on 21.
After this third leg, Ireland are second place in the overall standings, on a score of 225, behind France on 240.
On Sunday, the two-star 1.35m jump-off class saw Ireland’s Nano Healy finish on the podium in third with Lavantus-C, when they jumped double clear in a jump-off time of 38.18. Dutch rider Siebe Leemans on Maestro Gusto v/d Laarse Heide was best of the 39 starters, 12 of whom had made it into the jump-off, keeping all the fences intact in a time of 36.52. The Netherlands also took second place when Stijn Jonkers rode double clear with Libertho-H in 37.52.