COUNTY Down veteran Conor Swail dominated proceedings at the four-star show at Langley’s Thunderbird Show Park in Canada over the past nine days.

The Down veteran remains at the very peak of his powers and showcased that in quite stunning fashion, by securing six international class victories with five different horses including a lucrative Grand Prix victory on the Brian Duff-bred, Ollie Glancy-owned Clonterm Obolensky (ISH) on Sunday night.

He kicked off in the Fort Grand Prix Arena by taking the speed class on Wednesday with the redoubtable Theo 160, clear in 61.73, to score from Amy Millar (CAN) with Christiano by just over half a second. James Chawke rounded out the top five with Daido van’t Ruytershof when clear in 64.16.

Experience and intuitive knowledge of one another’s strengths was clear here, as Swail used Theo’s athleticism, adding strides to make ground.

“I was a wee bit surprised, honestly, to see how quick his time was,” said Swail. “I watched James, I watched Kyle (King), I watched Amy - and they were moving. I’m like, I can’t do those steps. There wasn’t any leave outs. It was one of those rounds where the whole way around everything came up good for me. Theo is very efficient, he moves the legs quickly. He hasn’t the biggest step, but he turned beautifully.

“Obviously, he’s getting a little older (14), but he’s been such a servant for me and wins so much,” Swail said, noting that they picked up three wins at the Desert Winter Circuit over the winter and a pair of second-place finishes earlier this month in Mexico. “He’s such a great horse, so I’m lucky to have him.”

Double delight

Swail bagged a double the following day. In the four-star Challenge. Canada’s Nicole Walker and Excellent B set an early standard in the 1.45m class, but Swail would not be denied in the jump-off. With a target of 38.07 seconds to beat, the Darragh Cross native and Nadal Hero & D, shaved over half a second off, clocking in at 37.47 seconds.

“I was last to go. I saw Nikki and she had a lovely round, I thought she was quite quick,” he said. “I tried to be as efficient as I can and keep him comfortable. This is his first FEI win in a couple of years. I am so happy with him.”

Swail and the 13-year-old BWP gelding were part of Ireland’s Nations Cup-winning team at Tbird in 2023 and picked up a pair of wins in 2022, but have been absent from the international ring since 2024. The striking chesnut has been competing instead with Swail’s wife, Samantha van der Woude-Swail. The Irishman only recently took the ride back after the couple welcomed a daughter.

“My wife was jumping him in the 1.20m and 1.30m for over a year. The only reason I’m riding him is because she’s just after having a baby.”

When asked whether his wife might want the ride back, Swail smiled: “She already knows the answer, I think.”

Swail had earlier scored in two-star competition with Kazelli VDL to make it three from three in the international arena.

While the run paused on Friday, the green hue of proceedings was continued by Chawke and Daido van’t Ruytershof Z when they won the four-star Grand Prix qualifier by swooping last and fast.

They beat five others in the tiebreaker, navigating the 1.50m test with ease and coruscating pace. Katie Laurie (AUS) had taken the lead with a clear in 41.94 seconds on Django II, but 39.77 made mincemeat of that standard.

“I just did the numbers and she’s generally very quick, so I figured that, if I could do those, I’d be pretty close,” Chawke said of his jump-off strategy.

Conor Swail and Theo 160 in action at Thunderbird Show Park \ Kim Gauddry\Tbird Park

Final say

Swail was back winning on Sunday in the Grand Prix with Clonterm Obolensky. It was far from straightforward, however, as Swail lost his left stirrup, (pictured) while the 10-year-old grey lost a front shoe during the opening round. They still recorded one of only four blemish-free rounds and, with a jump-off clear in 46.65, Glancy’s grey had his maiden Grand Prix success.

“I mean, honestly, I do lose stirrups more often than I should,” Swail admitted. “We came around the corner and jumped the Liverpool-oxer and it was quite a long distance. That’s actually where he lost his shoe. And then the balancing nine [to the triple] got a bit short at the end. Thankfully, I have enough scope that my horse was really good to jump the back rail. I think I was also trying to jump that back rail, and that’s where I lost my stirrup.

“It doesn’t really bother me too much. It’s just about trying to get it back. And even if you can’t get it back, just continue with the plan.

“I’ve had him just over a year, and the horse was a very big prospect as a young horse. You can see the ability that he has… We’ve done already maybe three or four five-star Grands Prix, so we’re starting to get more comfortable at that level. This is a great stepping stone for him. It’s a great win.

“He is very, very powerful. He’s a Cornet Obolensky, so he’s got a lot of spirit in him. He can be challenging, but I think that’s all good horses - they have a little quirk to them here and there. It’s just about trying to gauge that ability and power and use it in a positive way.”

Swail delivered another masterful win in Wednesday’s CSIO4* Nations Welcome Qualifier, piloting Casturano to the top of the leaderboard when he stopped the clock clean in 62.03 seconds. He then picked up his sixth international win in just nine days at Thunderbird, this time piloting Kazelli VDL to victory in Thursday’s CSI2* 1.45m Friends of Tbird Qualifier. Swail and the 11-year-old mare produced the only sub-41-second time in the nine-horse jump-off.