IRELAND’S Conan Wright showed great promise with his mount Le Grande, when taking the runner-up spot in Saturday’s three-star 1.40m two-phase special class at the Longines EEF Nations Cup show at Deauville, France, from a start list of 70. Wright’s time of 30.91 wasn’t far behind Portuguese winner Rodrigo Giesteirs Almeida on Calief Topfok, who stopped the clock in 30.78. There were 40 combinations who jumped double clear.
The French competition ran from Thursday until Sunday, with a top-five placing in Thursday’s one-star 1.15m two-phase special for Aisling Byrne ride Supreme Action, who took fifth place when jumping double clear in a time of 37.64. French winner Marie Deroubaix on Athena du Val clocked a very fast time of 34.09.
Byrne bettered this in Friday’s one-star 1.15m speed class, when she and Supreme Action finished on the podium in third place in a time of 58.18, just marginally behind runner-up Marie Eugenie Angles on La Rochelle (58.16), while the winner, Ines Joly (FRA) on Ecco du Plessis stopped the clock in 55.15.
Nations Cup
The Nations Cup at Deauville was held on Friday afternoon with 12 teams taking part. The Irish squad had been named as Ethen Ahearne on the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding LVS Goldrush H (Stakkato Gold x Arcadia Lvs Z by Arko III), bred by Heritage Bloodstock Ltd, Matt Garrigan on Grace V, Lt Michaeli Byrne on the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare MSH Claregalway (Cornet Obolensky x Lady Acobat by Acobat II), bred by Niall and John Mullins, and Harry Allen on Edison de Hus. James Kernan filled the role of Irish Chef d’Équipe.
Ahearne was first for the Irish and jumped a perfect clear round, with next in Garrigan suffering unfortunate elimination. Lt Byrne picked up two time penalties, while Allen incurred four faults, putting Ireland on a score of six and in joint-ninth place at the halfway stage.
Round two started well when Ahearne and his mount completed a flawless double clear, but Garrigan recorded another elimination. Lt Byrne jumped a super clear round second time out, but Allen incurred an uncharacteristic 27 faults, with that being the team score for round two, giving a total of 33 overall. This put Ireland in 12th place at the finish.
The win went to an in-form Italian team, who finished the first round on one fault and added five in the second for an overall total score of six. Belgium were second on a score of eight, followed by France in third also on eight, but in a slightly slower time.
Friday’s jumping concluded with Conan Wright taking fourth place in the three-star 1.40m two-phase special riding Le Grande from a large start list of 81, of whom 31 jumped double clear.
Wright then rode Oliva P into ninth place in the 30-strong one-star 1.35m two-phase special class on Sunday.
The concluding class of the show was the three-star 1.55m Region Normandie Grand Prix, which saw Lt Michaeli Byrne ride MSH Claregalway into sixth place of the 59 starters, with a double clear round in a time of 44.44. Nina Mallevaey (FRA) on Destine To Be won the class in a time of 38.20.