THERE were smiles all round as Team Ireland came out on top in last Thursday’s Young Rider 1.45m Nations Cup at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Youth Tour at Sentower Park in Opglabbeek, Belgium. Denis Flannelly’s team of Aidan O’Brien on Gisborne VDL, Harrison Blair on l’Esprit Hero Z, Jenny Dunlop on Gidion B and Ben Walsh on Zenith VD Donkhoeve Z accrued the fewest faults of the 10 participating teams over a very tricky course, which saw only two double clears from the 40 riders. Ireland finished on 12 faults, ahead of runners-up France on 16 and Belgium placed third on 20.
Then, following the lead of their Young Rider colleagues, the Irish pony team took the top spot in Friday’s Pony 1.30m Nations Cup. The squad of Jack Dore on K-Little Hero, Robbie Sheehan on Pjotr van de Groenheuvel, Ted Fagan on Ballyfore Rosie and Charlie Flynn on HK Zena finished the first two rounds on a score of four faults, equal with France, so a jump-off was required to decide the placings. Despite the unfortunate elimination of Dore, Sheehan, Fagan and Flynn all jumped clear when it mattered and they came out with a zero score, which relegated France to second place with four faults. Sweden placed third.
Youth Tour
The Pony Small Tour 1.05m two-phase special class on Wednesday saw Katelyn Horgan place sixth on Mystic du Charooli, followed by Ryan Horgan on Ixter de Reville in seventh and Charlotte Foley on Keri Van Orchid’s in ninth.
The day’s Pony Big Tour 1.20m two-phase special saw Millie Jeffers ride Swarovski into sixth place, followed by Harry O’Callaghan on Sucato in seventh, while Charlotte Coffey and Stakklinton placed ninth in the Under 25 Big Tour 1.40m speed class and Blair rode l’Esprit Hero Z into 10th place in the Young Rider Big Tour 1.45m Grand Prix qualifier.
Katelyn Horgan and Ajaccienne placed fourth in the Children on Horses (COH) Big Tour 1.25m Grand Prix qualifier, while the COH Small Tour 1.15m two-phase special class saw Ellie Sheane place seventh with Cooley Candy and Blathnaid Murphy finish 10th on board Godiva Quality.
On Thursday, Saoirse O’Neill and Exodus Angies Rose were third in the Pony Big Tour 1.25m qualifier.
The Irish COH team of Charlotte Foley on Cillbhrid Excel, Katelyn Horgan on Ajaccienne, Alicia Kernan on Fantom and Lucia Keane on Elia finished fifth of the 10 teams taking part in the COH 1.25m Nations Cup on a total of four faults in 210.36. The team from the Netherlands fared best after a jump-off between four teams who had finished the two rounds on a zero score. Sheane and Monbeg Hendricks placed third in the COH 1.25m ‘In Between Class’.
There were four Irish in the top 10 of the Pony Big Tour 1.20m speed class, with Keane and RDJW Merclov winning the class, ahead of Josephine Nell in sixth place on Luitta and in ninth on Bungi and Jeffers on Swarovski in 10th. Max Galway concluded the day by winning the Pony Small Tour 1.10m speed class on Orchid’s Coryan.
Sheane and Cooley Candy were runners-up in Friday’s COH Small Tour 1.15m speed class, while the Pony 1.30m ‘In Between Class’ saw O’Neill and Exodus Angies Rose finish third, with Cathal McKeon-Devaney on Nokio in eighth place.
The Junior 1.40m Nations Cup saw Ireland place fifth of the 11 teams taking part. Isobel Sheehan on Athea Clover Trend, Alanna Fagan on Billy Hastings, Arielle Allen on Kandice Z and Cian McMunn on Oberon Van’T Lohof had mixed fortunes and finished on a total of 17 faults.
Robbie Sheehan and Daytona won the Pony Big Tour 1.25m two-phase special class, while Ben Walsh on Adastra Milo placed fifth in the Young Rider Big Tour 1.45m two-phase special class.
Saturday’s Junior Big Tour 1.40m speed class saw Cian McMunn place third with Lisboy Emerald, while Coffey and Stakklinton placed sixth in the Under 25 1.40m Grand Prix; Keane and Elia placed third in the COH 1.25m Grand Prix and Walsh rode Adastra Milo into eighth place in the Young Rider 1.45m Grand Prix.
One-two
It was a one-two for Ireland in the Pony Small Tour 1.15m two-phase special, when Galway on Orchid’s Coryan took the win, followed by O’Neill on Corona Boy in second. Murphy and Godiva Quality placed third in the COH Small Tour 1.15m speed class, followed by Sheane on Cooley Candy in eighth place, while in the Pony Small Tour 1.05m speed class, Katelyn Horgan took the win with Mystic du Charooli and placed eighth with BBS Tik Tok and Ryan Horgan on Ixter de Reville finished seventh.
In Sunday’s Pony 1.25m Grand Prix, O’Callaghan on Sucato placed third and Keane on RDJW Merclov placed seventh.
Meanwhile, the Pony 1.30m Grand Prix saw a fabulous four Irish in the top 10. Fagan on Ballyfore Rosie put in a flawless performacne and won the class, with Flynn on Montana in second, O’Neill on Exodus Angies Rose in fourth and Dore on K-Little Hero in ninth.
There was another one-two in the Pony Small Tour 1.20m speed class, when Galway on Orchid’s Coryan won the class and O’Neill on Corona Boy were runners-up and, in the Pony Small Tour 1.10m two-phase special class, there was a Horgan one-two, when Ryan took first with Ixter de Reville and Katelyn was second on Mystic du Charooli. Foley on Kerim Van Orchid’s followed them in fifth place.