JAMES Kernan’s junior Irish team put in a superb performance to win the Nations Cup at the Dutch Youngster Festival in Wierden, The Netherlands, last Saturday.

The team of Max Wachman, Ella Quigley, Caragh Charlton and Tom Wachman saw off nine other teams to win on a team total score of five faults, ahead of Belgium on nine and Germany on 14 faults.

Fresh from winning the Grand Prix the day before and with plenty of match practice up to four and five-star level under his belt, Tipperary’s Max Wachman was Ireland’s pathfinder with Coolmore Showjumping’s Dorette. His experience showed when he got Ireland started with a perfect clear round.

Ella Quigley was next to go with the Dom Webb Horses-owned Horinde H and she finished with eight faults, before Caragh Charlton steadied the ship with another perfect clear aboard Galina. Last to go, Tom Wachman, who has also been showing all winter with much success, picked up a single time fault with Coolmore Showjumping’s Atlantic Du Seigneur. That left Ireland on a score of one fault at the halfway stage, in a share of the lead with Belgium.

In the second round, Max Wachman completed a double clear round – one of just two riders to do so. Quigley then bounced back to produce a foot-perfect clear and put Ireland into the lead. When Charlton lowered just a single fence when second last to go, Ireland could not be beaten. Tom Wachman picked up five faults second time out.

Ireland finished on a two round total of five faults to finish a fence ahead of Belgium in second.

Speaking afterwards, Irish Youth team manager James Kernan said: “I am absolutely delighted with all our team, they were fantastic. Coming into the competition the two Wachman brothers had some match practice but the others not so much. It was a tough Nations Cup and I have to say I think the standard of riding and the standard of horses has really moved up a level over the last year.

“It is outstanding to win the first Nations Cup of the year for Ireland and I want to thank all the owners, trainers, sponsors and Horse Sport Ireland for their support.”

Grand Prix for Wachman

Friday saw Max Wachman claim victory in a hugely competitive 1.40m Junior Grand Prix aboard the 10-year-old Conrad-sired mare Brooklyn De Hus.

From a startlist of 64 combinations, 17 made it through to the timed jump-off, where 12 went on to jump a second clear round. Once again Wachman, who is trained by Irish Olympic medallist Cian O’Connor and is part of the Cannes Stars Global Champions League this season, used all his experience to post a blistering clear round in 35.75 seconds, which couldn’t be caught.

Belgium’s Anthony Philippaerts, younger brother of Belgian team riders Nicola and Oliver Philippaerts, was runner-up in 36.98 seconds, while Germany’s Johanna Beckmann slotted into third place for Germany in 37.14.

Young rider Sean Monaghan, who was in good form on the national circuit when recently winning a Grand Prix in Cavan, was also competing at the venue and he won Wednesday’s two-phase 1.40m young rider class with HHS Lou (Luidam x Clover Echo), who was bred by Patrick Duffy. The pair were the fastest of a huge 38 clear rounds, breaking the beam in 27.34 seconds.