SIX-YEAR-OLDs
KILKENNY show jumper Ger O’Neill won a gold medal in the six-year-old division of the FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses for the second year in a row in Lanaken last Sunday.
Riding his own and Eamonn Murphy’s Columbcille Gipsy, by Toulan out of the thoroughbred-sired Gipsy III (HOLST), O’Neill cemented the six-year-old’s status as one to watch for the future after a hugely successful year, which included winning the lucrative Irish Breeders Classic final in Barnadown at the beginning of the month.
Winner of this class in 2016 with Killossery Kaiden, who was back to compete in the seven-year-old division this year under American Adrienne Dixon, O’Neill described winning back-to-back gold medals as “a dream come true”.
Some 260 combinations started in the six-year-old class at the beginning of the week. Sixty-six of those were clear on Thursday and 94 on Friday. Columbcille Gipsy didn’t touch a pole over the course of the week.
Six Irish Sport Horses made it through to the final and four of those combinations managed to keep a clean sheet in round one to go through to the jump-off.
Seventh to go in the 20-horse timed round, O’Neill set off at a blistering pace and broke the beam in 38.38 seconds, over two seconds faster than his nearest challenger, Germany’s Harm Lahde in 40.98 with the Selle Francais stallion Oak Grove’s Darshan (Diamant de Semilly x Baloubet du Rouet).
Belgium’s Caroline de Laet claimed the bronze medal with Halland van de Mispelaere (0/0 41.56). Just six of the 20 combinations in the jump-off were clear.
DREAM
“This win means an awful lot,” O’Neill told The Irish Field this week. “I suppose it’s something you don’t set out to achieve, it’s more something you dream of doing. It was just fantastic to go back and do the double.”
The only Irish rider to have won two gold medals at the championships, he had another gold medallist, Greg Broderick (winner of the five-year-old final in 2013 with Arraghbeg Clover), by his side.
“Greg was a big help to me. I was seventh to go out of 20 and we went through the course together beforehand and said if I was going to win I really had to go for it. The rest then had to do a lot to catch me.”
O’Neill wasn’t able to watch any of the remaining competitors go. “I was very worried about Mikey (Pender) because he is so quick. I stayed out the back, I didn’t watch, but I could hear if someone did well and then as they went on I knew I was going to get a medal anyway. The Irish crowd was unreal – it feels like you’re at home!”
Of future plans for the mare, who arrived back to Castlefield Sport Horses on Tuesday, O’Neill said: “If someone comes along with a big enough cheque book we will consider selling her. If she’s not sold we will probably take some embryos for some of the foal auctions that are going very well at the moment. An embryo out of the world champion would be very valuable!”
The next best placed Irish competitor was former double world breeding championship medallist Mikey Pender with Marion Hughes’ HHS Fortune (Catoki x Ard VDL Douglas) in 14th place after picking up four faults in 45.34 seconds.
Darragh Ryan faulted just once with Greg Broderick’s Lackamore Storm (Kroongraaf x Indoctro) to finish 18th, two places ahead of Jenny Rankin and Sea Topblue (Chacco Blue x Lux Z), owned by Deirdre Bourns.
The performance of Pender, Ryan and Rankin across the board in Lanaken reinforces the talent of young riders in Ireland.
Irish riders have now won six gold medals in Lanaken - Ger O’Neill (2017 and 2016, Killossery Kaiden), Bertram Allen (2014, Barnike (NRPS)), Greg Broderick (2013, Arraghbeg Clover), Jessica Kürten (2011, Cor Dela Rossa Z (ZANG)) and Clem McMahon (2010, NLS Coole Al Clover).
FIVE-YEAR-OLDS
1. Pippa Goddard Chilli 0/0 36.79
2. Felix Hassmann Quiwitino WZ 0/0 36.89
3. Angelique Rüsen Calvino 0/0 37.89
SIX-YEAR-OLDS
1. Ger O’Neill Columbcille Gipsy (ISH) 0/0 38.38
2. Harm Lahde Oak Grove’s Darshan 0/0 40.98
3. Caroline de Laet Halland van de Mispelaere 0/0 41.56
SEVEN-YEAR-OLDS
1. Dayro Arroyave Koriano van Klapscheut 0/0 40.62
2. Pieter Devos Flash 0/0 41.49
3. Ivan Serrano Saenz Citizen Mezz 0/0 41.86