THE five-star Nations Cup fixture at Piazza di Siena in Rome celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, hosting top-class show jumping from Thursday until Sunday, with Irish riders claiming three wins from the eight individual classes.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch hit the ground running, winning Thursday’s opening class with the 12-year-old gelding Conterno-Blue PS. There were 51 starters in the 1.45m Winning Round class, 13 of whom jumped clear in the first round. Lynch and Conterno-Blue PS jumped without fault in a second-round time of 39.27 seconds to claim the winner’s prize, followed by former Irish team manager Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) on Giorgio D’Ellipse in second (39.50) and Lorenzo De Luca (ITA) on Golden Du Breuil in third (39.61).

Lynch commented afterwards: “It was a good course for an opening round, and it’s always a pleasure to come to Piazza di Siena.

“The fact that I’ve been a regular here for at least 20 years proves it... It’s always great to compete for your country, and that’s why we’re here. Anything extra is obviously welcome.”

Irish momentum continued in the day’s 1.45m two-phase class, where another Tipperary man, Tom Wachman, finished fourth riding the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Kilkenny (Cardento x MHS Pembrook Lady by Guidam), bred by Sinead Brennan, with a double clear in 24.84 and Lynch rode Vistogrand into seventh place (26.28) in the class of 70. Italy’s Emilio Bicocchi won the class with Hemerald D’Argonne in a time of 24.16.

The 55-strong 1.50m speed class saw three Irish men in the top 10. Lynch and Brooklyn Heights placed fifth when clear in 66.41, followed closely by Wachman on the 13-year-old gelding Do It Easy in sixth (66.51) and, a mere hundredth of a second behind, Cian O’Connor on Gospel Tame placed seventh in 66.52.

Friday saw Wachman finish as runner-up in the 1.55m speed class, when he rode a clear round on Kilkenny in a time of 68.04 at the pair’s first five-star show together and Wachman’s first time at this venue. There were just nine clear rounds from the 52 starters, with Jack Whitaker (GBR) on Izara Des Dames taking first place in 66.57.

Nations Cup

The 1.60m Nations Cup on Friday afternoon saw 10 teams lining up, with Ireland being represented by Denis Lynch on Vistogrand, Tom Wachman on Tabasco De Toxandria Z, Derry’s Jordan Coyle on Cordiamo and Meath’s Cian O’Connor on Ulysses. Jessica Kurten’s team finished in eighth place.

Lynch got the team off to a good start with a clear round in round one, while Wachman and Coyle each picked up four faults. Anchorman O’Connor stepped up and jumped clear, putting Ireland on a score of four faults at the halfway stage. Mexico led from the front as the only team on a zero score, with Ireland one of four teams on four faults - the others being Germany, Great Britain and the United States. As such, Ireland were among the eight teams who proceeded to jump again, with France and Sweden out of contention at that point.

The second round proved challenging and did not quite go to plan for the Irish. Lynch and Vistogrand collected eight faults, a score that was then replicated by Wachman, Coyle and O’Connor, which put Ireland on a second-round score of 24 - a total of 28 overall.

Mexico finished the second round on four, giving them a total of four overall, while Germany scored zero in round two - also putting them on a total of four, meaning that a jump-off was required to determine the winner.

Richard Vogel on Gangster Montdesir went for the German team and picked up four faults, while Patricio Pasquel on Chakkalou PS jumped an immaculate clear to secure the win for Mexico, with the Germans settling for the runner-up spot. Great Britain completed the podium in third on a score of eight.

Irish wins

It was back to full power on Saturday, as Coyle rode King Kannan GP to win the 1.45m speed class from a start list of 43. Coyle, making his debut at the show, achieved the fastest of 23 clear rounds, stopping the clock in 55.60, half a second ahead of Germany’s Christian Ahlmann and Viviario JL Z in second (56.16).

Meanwhile, in the 1.55m Loro Piana Trophy jump-off class, Wachman took a fantastic first place from 60 starters with Do It Easy. There were 14 clears in the first round, with 13 of them jumping again.

Wachman and his mount were among nine double clears, but the pair’s time of 35.95 proved unbeatable. Nina Mallevaey (FRA) and the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare My Clementine, bred by David Prentice, were runners-up in 36.26, while Richard Vogel placed third for Germany on Cloudio in 36.58. O’Connor rode Gospel Tame into fourth place (36.70), while Lynch and Conterno-Blue PS finished seventh (38.19).

Wachman said after his win: “It was a good course. It was quite difficult, quite delicate. It took plenty of jumping, so I was delighted with my horse today. It’s my first time here. It’s an amazing show, very rich in history and tradition. The grass ring is unbelievable. I’m so delighted to be here.”

In a fitting conclusion to the Italian show, the 1.60m Grand Prix on Sunday saw a home win for Piergiorgio Bucci on Pallieter VD N.Ranch, who claimed the generous top prize of €125,000.