TWO Irish riders featured in the top seven of the Longines FEI World Cup qualifier in Oslo, Norway, last Sunday, with victory going Germany’s way to the unstoppable Daniel Deusser and new mount Cornet 39.

Irish riders Bertram Allen and Mark McAuley were two of seven riders from the 35-strong startlist to make it through to the jump-off over Bob Ellis’s 1.60m track, the first round of the Western European League qualifiers at the five-star Kingsland Oslo Horse Show.

The move indoors tested horses’ control during the first round after a season on the outdoor circuit.

Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, who gave birth to her first child, Chloe, just 11 weeks ago, got the jump-off underway and set the standard with a superb clear round with the wonderful 10-year-old mare California (L’esprit x Libero H) in 38.22 seconds, which was eventually good enough for third place.

Co Louth’s Mark McAuley was next to go with Eva Lundin’s Miebello, finishing with four faults in 39.24 seconds which saw him finish in seventh place to collect €6,500.

WIDE OPEN

Frenchman Kevin Staut blew the competition wide open with a breathtaking run from the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding For Joy van’t Zorgvliet HDC (For Pleasure x Heartbreaker), setting the time to beat at 36.96 seconds.

That looked to be the winning time until Deusser and the 13-year-old Cornet Obolensky gelding shaved 0.13 of a second off the time when breaking the beam in 36.83 to land their first big win together.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen was last to go with Ballywalter Farm’s nine-year-old gelding Izzy by Picobello (Cicero Z x Capriano) and was looking good on the clock until the penultimate oxer fell for four faults in 37.50, slotting him into sixth place.

Cornet 39 was previously owned by American show jumper Paris Sellon and ridden by Lauren Hough, Sellon’s coach. Deusser, who rides for Stephan Conter’s Stephex Stables, took over the ride in Knokke in July and his boss later bought the gelding for him to ride.

Speaking in the press conference after the class, Deusser said: “[Lauren Hough] is an American rider with an American way of riding. She’s half my size so there’s been a period of adjustment! Lauren asked me to help her a little bit with him in July and it worked out good, so my owners, Stephex Stables, bought him for me to ride and I’m really happy with him!

“He very sensitive, you have to get to know him a little bit but he has great character,” Deusser added.

“He wants to help you in the end, he wants to win, and he has a great instinct in the ring!”

BREEN THIRD

In what was a fantastic weekend for Deusser, he also won Saturday’s five-star Grand Prix with Tobago Z, with Tipperary’s Shane Breen finishing on the podium in third place with Team Z7’s Laith.

Once again seven combinations cleared the first round of Ellis’ track to take up the shortened timed round. Last to go, Deusser took advantage of seeing the rest jump and crossed the line in 43.00 seconds with the nine-year-old stallion by Tangelo vd Zuuthoeve, marking their first five-star victory together.

Finland’s Juulia Jyläs and Courage T Z (Calvino Z x Espri) were clear 43.08 for second place.

The two first competed together internationally in April of 2014, and have since worked their way up from the two-star level to gain their biggest podium placing to date.

Breen was slightly slower with the 10-year-old Lord Z-sired stallion in 43.39 seconds, but was disapointed with his performance. “I did not make a very good plan,” he said afterwards.

“I watched a couple of the fast horses going and they had a fence down so then I though I don’t have to go crazy. Then from one to two I shold have had a stride less … I should have gone inside to the third one – I chose not to. And then I just didn’t make up the time.

“I am delighted to be third and congratulations to Daniel for winning, but my horse is very fast and I let him down today. He wanted to win… I absolutely adore the horse,” Breen added.

Breen finished fifth in Friday’s 1.50m speed class with Ipswich van de Wolfsakker at the same venue. The second leg of the World Cup Western European League takes place in Helsinki, next weekend, with the final in Paris next April.