CIAN O’Connor ended his two-week visit to Sentower Park in Belgium on a positive note last Sunday when winning the Ashford Farm-sponsored 1.45m two-star Grand Prix.
Riding Ronocco Jump Ltd’s 10-year-old gelding Lazzaro delle Schiave, who joined his Karlswood team from Italy’s Massimo Grossato in November, he was among 16 clears from a start list of 69.
Nine of those produced a second clear against the clock and O’Connor earned the top prize of €6,250 when breaking the beam in 40.72 seconds, ahead of Luxembourg’s Christian Weier and Global in second (0/0 41.58) and Belgium’s Gudrun Patteet in third with Sea Coast Crystal de Leau (0/0 41.94).
Kildare’s Mikey Pender also kept all the poles in place with the eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse HHS Calais (Cavalier Royale x OBOS Quality), bred by Ita Brennan, and finished fourth when clear in 42.18, just ahead of Jenny Rankin in fifth with Team Harmony’s Quentin PJ (0/0 42.67)
O’Connor told The Irish Field: “It was a nice end to a long season and gave us all the opportunity to get to know new horses and give younger horses more mileage. Next week my team of horses will fly to Florida where I plan to compete at WEF for 12 weeks.
“PSG Final is getting a well-deserved break for a few weeks following his brilliant clear in the final round of the Prague playoffs a few weeks ago. He has had a brilliant year and learnt so much, and the plan will be to work backwards from Tokyo and plan each step of the journey to try give ourselves the best chance of peaking there.
“Lazzaro and Valdocco, who was third in Friday’s ranking class, are also proven top Grand Prix horses whom are a huge addition to me to ensure I myself get enough rounds in at a high level over the next seven months and additionally having them both can hopefully lighten the work load of PSG Final,” O’Connor added.
O’Connor finished third in Friday’s 1.45m with Valdocco Des Caps when one of seven clear rounds in the jump-off. His time of 33.57 was good enough to earn €3,750.
Foley victory
Jason Foley took the win in Sunday’s two-phase 1.40m. Riding the Jim and Ger O’Neill-owned stallion Castlefield Cass, he lodged the winning round in 22.66 seconds. Jack Ryan, who is riding for Shane Breen’s stable, also made his presence felt, slotting into sixth with Breen Equestrian’s Clintofino when clear in 24.23.
Foley’s winning ways continued when he went on to claim victory in the CSIYH1* 1.35m seven-year-old class aboard Ger O’Neill and Matteo Pelmglio’s Madorada DW when clear in 36.58. Further down the line in fifth was Jenny Rankin and Ronnoco Jump’s Genepi des Mansart, also clear in 42.74 seconds.
Overall it was a good week for the Irish as they clocked up a series of good results. On Thursday, Sven Hadley and Breen Equestrian’s Emly were best of the Irish in the 1.15-1.25m two-phase class. The duo delivered a clear in 28.59 seconds for eventual fourth. One place behind was Foley and Ijver, clear in 29.35.
Hadley upped the pace later in the day to claim victory in the 1.30m. Riding Topspin, he lodged the fastest clear in 28.24. Also featuring in the top 10 was Ciaran Nallon and Bourns Sport Horses’ Call Me Cool Z, crossing the line with nothing to add in 30.72 for seventh.
Joanne Blair and Mon Ami finished seventh in the CSIYH1* two-phase 1.35m seven-year-old class when clear in 33.03.
Ciaran Nallon and Call me Cool Z were back in the ribbons on Friday, claiming fifth in the 1.35m, clear in 26.18. Three places below was Peter Moloney who crossed the line clear in 26.62 with Steyburn.
Nallon’s win
Nallon and Call Me Cool Z upped the ante on Saturday to take the win in the 1.35m. The pair were fractions ahead of Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Amelia 14 as they clocked the winning time in 55.38 seconds. Sven Hadley slotted into sixth with Topspin, clear in 60.34, while in seventh was Sophie Dalm and Fastday VDL, clear in 60. 51.
Tori Dunn was the runner-up in Saturday’s 1.20m aboard Ballistic M2s, when delivering a clear in 28.93. Hadley returned to the line-up to take sixth place with Sumas Taloubet when clear in 32.13, while Jack Ryan finished one place behind with Colmar, clear in 32.74. On Saturday, Ryan and the stallion Colmar finished fourth in the I.20m.
A winner the week previous, Tom Wachman took the runner-up place in Friday’s 1.30m with Cesha Old when he lodged a clear in a time of 60.74. The pair were fractions of a second behind the winner, Russia’s Egor Shchibrik and Adonis, who clocked 60.63.
Jennifer Kuehnle also featured in this line-up, taking seventh with the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Gurtera Cara Dubh (by VDL Arkansas) (0/ 71.10), ahead of Cornelius Brenna in eighth with Merida 8 (0/ 71.20).