SEVENTEEN-year-old Jennifer Kuehnle won last Friday’s 1.40m Junior Grand Prix at the CSIO Youth show in Sentower Park, Belgium, where many underage Irish riders were in the ribbons.
Riding the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Consun (by Air Jordan Z), owned by Damien Conway and Ed Tatum, Kuehnle was among seven clears in the first round of the class, over which 76 combinations started.
The youngster, who combines show jumping and eventing at a high level, then broke the beam in a time of 36.39 seconds, the fastest of five clear rounds against the clock. Denmark’s Theodor Linde took the runner-up position with Salto des Nauves HDC (0/0 36.85).
Kuehnle and the Tina McDermott-bred Consun then went on to win Saturday’s 1.40m speed class at the Belgian venue. The combination had almost a second to spare when crossing the finish line in 59.33.
Nicholas Connors placed fourth and best of the Irish in the 1.45m Young Rider Grand Prix with Ann Connors’ Abordable du Talus, a nine-year-old gelding by Untouchable M. The combination were one of five double clears in the eight horse jump-off, posting a time of 40.34 seconds. Victory went to Switzerland’s Elin Ott and Nanu II (0/0 38.78).
POWER PONY WIN
At one of her first international outings since winning the final of the FEI Pony Jumping Final in Mechelen at the end of 2018, pony rider Katie Power once again stormed to victory in the 1.30m Grand Prix last Friday with the brilliant Ghost Rider.
The course designer set a difficult task for the 50 combinations and just two managed to keep a clean sheet in the first round, Power and France’s Jeanne Hirel. Both riders faulted against the clock, but Power and her 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding had a faster time when breaking the beam in 39.63 seconds to take the top prize.
Ryan Sweetnam finished in fourth place with Barra Sweetnam’s Perseus Spartacus after picking up a single time fault in the first round.
Tom Wachman placed second in Friday’s 1.25m two-phase competition. Riding Coolmore Showjumping’s Aughnashammer, Wachman was one of 14 double clears in the class, breaking the beam in 30.87, fractions slower than British winner Shaunie Greig (0/0 30.81). Max Foley was the only other Irish rider in the top 10, slotting into eighth place with Magic Cornflakes (0/0 32.31).
NATIONS CUP
Gary Marshall’s pony team took a podium place in Sunday’s CSIOP Nations Cup. The team of Ella Quigley (Rock Dee Jay), Tom Wachman (Ocean des AS), Max Foley (Valma de Fougnard) and Max Wachman (Cuffesgrange Cavalidam) came back from a shaky first round, where they accumulated 18 faults, to add nothing in the second round and finish in third place.
The Wachman brothers and Foley all produced second round clears, while Quigley was also clear over all of the fences but added a time fault. France took victory with a total of 12 faults, ahead of Britain on 13 faults.
James Kernan’s Irish Children on Horses team finished just one place off the podium in equal fourth place. Marta Hughes-Bravo (HHS California), Olivia Shanahan (Rosalie), Timmy Brennan (Herbst Acapella) and Kian Dore (Lodgefield Lilly) added a team total eight faults in each to finish on 16 faults, joint with The Netherlands. The in-form French also took victory in this division, on eight faults, ahead of Germany in second with 10 and Belgium in third on 12.
Kernan’s Young Rider team were out of luck when finishing sixth of the 11 teams. Ian Fives was the standout performer aboard Datero H when finishing with just a time fault in each round. He was joined on the team by Luke Garrigan (MHS La Scala), Mark Finnerty (All Action) and Nicholas Connors (Abordable du Talus).