LOUTH’S Mark McAuley finished on the podium in the three-star Big Tour 1.45m speed class at the third week of this year’s Jump’Est international equestrian event at the Haras Régional de Rosières-aux-Salines in Nancy, France on Saturday, when he rode Django Ste Hermelle into third place.
From the 81 starters, just 16 remained clear within the allocated time, with McAuley’s clear round in 61.35 seconds proving good enough to finish on the podium. He was just a whisker behind runner-up Koen Vereecke on Merryweather VT Leeuwerokenhof, who finished in 61.27, while Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Rockwell RC (Kannan x Urban Sea by Guidam), bred by Ronan Byrne in Co Kilkenny, stopped the clock just over a second ahead in 60.16 to win the class.
Conan Wright finished on the podium a number of times during the course of the show, culminating in a third-place finish with Le Grande in Sunday’s 66-strong three-star Medium Tour 1.40m Accumulator class, when scoring the maximum 65 points in a time of 45.82. There was a French one-two in the class, which was won by Alexis Gourdin on Il Yad Du Villiers, followed by Alexa Ferrer on Casanova ZSZ in second.
Wright also placed ninth in the Best Rider Award at the conclusion of the show, out of 103 riders taking part. Belgian rider Koen Vereecke claimed the title, followed by Jean Luc Mourier (FRA) in second and Nadja Peter Steiner (SUI) in third.
Placings
Thursday’s Young Horse seven-year-old 1.30m class saw Wright and McAuley finish among the joint winners from a start list of 78. Wright rode Otrichta and Oliva P, while McAuley’s partner was Alouette Pommex Z.
Wright then claimed a podium finish in the 61-strong three-star Medium Tour 1.35m class, when third with Lafayette.
In Friday’s three-star Medium Tour 1.40m class, Wright placed seventh on Le Grande, followed by McAuley on Illico Des Rondets in eighth from a start list of 53. The class was won by Ahmed Naser Elnaggar (EGY) on Zwiebertje NCS Z.
On Saturday, Wright posted another third-place finish, this time in the day’s Young Horse seven-year-old 1.35m class riding Oliva P from a large start list of 77. Swiss riders claimed the top two places here, with Agathe Vacher first on Jaitro Delorme and Martin Fuchs second on Equito 6.
Gorla Minore
Meanwhile, at Gorla Minore in Italy, Arielle Allen rode Don Diarado 4 to win Saturday’s one-star 1.10m two-phase class, from a start list of 10. Allen was fastest of four double clears in the class. Allen and Don Diarado 4 had also placed seventh in Friday’s one-star 1.10m speed class.
Deirdre Reilly and Odiamant van’T Laar placed ninth of the 38 starters in the two-star 1.35m two-phase class on Saturday, when picking up a single time penalty in the second phase. Reilly then placed 10th in the day’s two-star 1.45m two-phase class riding Derryglen Othello.
Sunday’s one-star 1.20m speed class saw Sameh El Dahan ride the Irish Sport Horse WKD Hurricane into eighth place and in the day’s one-star 1.10m speed class, El Dahan placed second with WKD Little Lord (ISH), while Allen and Don Diarado 4 placed seventh.