TEAM Ireland secured three-star Nations Cup success at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain last Friday week when the team of Susan Fitzpatrick with Lovely Stassi PS, Niamh McEvoy with Olympic GL ‘FVD’, Max Wachman with Tipperary and Ethen Ahearne with LVS Goldrush (ISH) (Stakkato Gold x Arko III, bred by Heritage Bloodstock Ltd and owned by Dermot Walsh), under the guidance of Taylor Vard, took the win for the second year in a row from a large entry of 17 teams to retain the trophy they won last year.
The Irish team got off to a good start in the first round when Fitzpatrick jumped clear and McEvoy kept all the fences standing but incurred just two time penalties. Wachman finished on eight faults, which ended up as the discard score when Ahearne jumped a lovely clear round, putting Ireland into the lead at the halfway stage on a score of just two penalties. Ireland’s nearest rivals after round one were Spain and Germany, who were both sitting on five faults.
In round two, Fitzpatrick picked up four faults, but this time McEvoy and Wachman both jumped clear, putting Ireland on an unbeatable score of six, which meant that Ahearne was not required to jump again. Brazil finished as runners-up on eight faults, with Germany third on 13.
Competition commenced at week two of the Andalucia October Tour on Wednesday, October 22nd, when Shane Moloney and Hollypark Sassy were among the joint winners in the one-star five-year-old 1.15m class, while Niamh McEvoy on Eclaire Stg Z were among those in the six-year-old 1.25m class.
Alice Wachman rode Thijssen SR Z into fourth place in Thursday’s two-star 1.35m class, with Isabel O’Brien on HHS Bambi placing eighth in the one-star five-year-old 1.15m class and Mischa Lennon on Anthem In My Heart finished seventh in the day’s two-star 1.30m class.
Irish success
Francis Derwin and Parvati AEG won Friday’s two-star 1.45m speed class, with Dermott Lennon on Millview Cicero in eighth. McEvoy followed up her team success in the Nations Cup with a win in the two-star 1.40m two-phase special class on Miro NS; Alice Wachman on Atlantic du Seigneur placed seventh in the class, followed by Lennon on Kinmar Right on Time in ninth.
Ireland’s Gerard Campbell on Coldplay I placed 10th in the day’s two-star 1.30m class and the rider also placed ninth in the two-star 1.20m class.
Saturday’s two-star 1.30m class saw Katie McLaughlin ride Alamshar Hero Z into 10th place.
Meath’s Cian O’Connor had a good day with the 11-year-old mare Canbella Blue PS, when the pair won the three-star 1.50m Stephex Trophy two-phase class from a large start list of 76, riding a double clear round in a speedy 21.14 seconds - more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Carlee McCutcheon (USA) on Aralyn Blue.
Derwin’s Grand Prix win
Irish riders claimed three of the top four places in the two-star 1.45m Stephex Small Grand Prix, with Francis Derwin and Parvati AEG winning the class, ahead of McEvoy on BP Rocket Man (ISH) (Stakkato Gold x Quidam Junior I, bred by Austin Broderick) in second and O’Connor on Corinna Z in fourth. Meanwhile, James Derwin won the two-star 1.35m class on board Amos L Z.
The two-star 1.20m Accumulator class saw Campbell on Livio placing third and Moloney on Ita Cave (zo-Go) in fourth, while the 1.10m two-phase special saw young 12.2 rider Ben O’Connor finish seventh on Catoka, in his first horse class, ahead of Alannah Grieve on Royale-K van’t Kattenheye in 10th.
Sunday’s three-star 1.55m Grand Prix saw Fitzpatrick finish best of the Irish in fifth of the 60 starters on Valisco PS, with Cian O’Connor riding Gengis Kann de Londe to place ninth and Tom Wachman on Obora’s Laura in 10th. The class was won by Jodie Hall McAteer (GBR) riding Key West.
Mischa Lennon rode Anthem In My Heart to win the two-star 1.25m two-phase special class, while in the 1.40m two-phase special, Max O’Reilly Hyland and BP Limitless placed third and Alice Wachman on Atlantic du Seigneur placed seventh from a start list of 90. Alice then placed fourth with Thijssen SR Z in the two-star 1.35m speed class.