SINCE breaking into the top 10 of the show jumping world rankings, Meath’s Cian O’Connor has been in incredible form and this was clear to see at the five-star show in Rome, Italy, over the weekend. O’Connor secured three podium placings during the four days of competition, including a second place in the five-star 1.60m Rolex Grand Prix.
The highlight of the show was held on Sunday and saw 45 combinations on the start list. Of those, the best 12 proceeded to the jump-off, with five remaining fault-free after the second round – two of them being Irish.
O’Connor and the 12-year-old gelding Iron Man, owned by Karlswood Partners, rode two impeccable rounds, stopping the clock in 35.76 seconds in round two – a mere 0.11 seconds behind the Brazilian winner Yuri Mansur on Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm, who finished in 35.65 to take the winner’s prize of €125,000. O’Connor received €100,000 for his runner-up finish, while the podium was completed by French rider Nina Mallevaey on Dynastie de Beaufour (36.35).
Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy (22) and the Ennisnag Stud-bred 10-year-old gelding ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold x For Pleasure) also jumped two impressive rounds and finished just off the podium in fourth place (36.78) to secure a €50,000 prize.
“He’s very special,” O’Connor said in praise of Iron Man. “He has a huge canter and a huge heart but he’s quite sensitive about everything. I started to ride him last September and it took me a while to get used to him. We probably didn’t click straight away. Even at the start of this year in Florida we had some rounds where we didn’t quite know each other, so I dropped him right back down to small classes, like 1.30m, and I built him back up. And the last six Grand Prix classes he’s jumped in-a-row he’s been double clear.
“He hasn’t much experience against the clock and he’s such an expressive jumper, he’s not maybe as quick as some of the others because he takes his time at his fences but that’s something we’re working on. Maybe we’ll catch (Yuri) in Aachen!”
The famous Rome Grand Prix has been running for 92 years and has been won by Irish riders on five occasions. Denis Lynch claimed victory with Brooklyn Heights in 2022 and with Lantinus in 2008, while Eddie Macken and Boomerang won in 1978. Billy Ringrose and Loch an Easpaig won in 1961, while the first Irish winners were John Lewis and Limerick Lace back in 1938.
Such was his consistency that O’Connor also claimed the ‘Piero e Raimondo d’Inzeo’ Trophy as Leading Rider at the show, with Hughes Kennedy finishing a creditable seventh.
On form
The 92nd edition of the international five-star CSIO di Roma - Piazza di Siena Nations Cup show was held last weekend, with show jumping from Thursday until Sunday.
O’Connor got his show off to a good start when taking second place in Thursday’s 1.45m two-phase class on board new mount Kaspar R. Of the 68 starters, 28 remained fault-free after the first phase, with 15 managing to continue with a clean sheet in the second. O’Connor’s time of 24.76 was within half a second of Brazilian winner, Stephan de Freitas Barcha on Chevaux Hex Lup Imperio Egipcio, who finished in 24.39. The podium was completed by Neri Pieraccini (ITA) on Newtown Van’T Zorgvliet (25.04).
Hughes Kennedy also secured a top five finish with Dure de Semilly in a time of 25.88 for fifth place. The rider then placed 10th with ESI Rocky (ISH) in the 1.50m speed class.
Friday saw another top-10 finish for Hughes Kennedy when he rode the Sinead Brennan-bred nine-year-old gelding MHS Cosmo (ISH) into 10th place in the 1.45m Accumulator class, while the rider scored a ninth place in Saturday’s 1.45m speed class with Dure de Semily.
O’Connor secured a podium place in Saturday’s 1.55m jump-off class, when he was third of 64 starters on board the 11-year-old gelding Fermoy, jumping double clear in a jump-off time of 36.93. Brazil’s Stephan de Freitas Barcha took another win, this time riding Dinozo Imperio Egipcio (34.66), with McLain Ward (USA) in second place with Imperial HBF (36.73).
Hughes Kennedy showed his skill when a three-way joint winner of the day’s 1.60m Six-Bar class riding MHS Cosmo (ISH). The pair jumped three clear rounds, only faulting in the fourth, as did fellow joint winners Bryan Balsiger (SUI) on PSG Starlight and Giacomo Bassi (ITA) on Comme Le Roi Del Magi. The three each took home €4,000.