CIAN O’Connor was the only Irish rider to make it into the jump-off, in the five-star Suncast Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida last Saturday night.

Meath-based O’Connor and the Adena Springs & Ronnoco Jump Ltd-owned stallion Good Luck, were one of just four combinations to jump clear in a demanding first round course, which saw horses and riders struggle to keep the fences standing inside the tight time allowed.

A single fence down in the jump-off saw O’Connor finish fourth overall, collecting a very healthy pay cheque in a competition with a massive $380,000 up for grabs.

American rider McLain Ward collected the winner’s prize with HH Azur, ahead of The Netherlands Harrie Smolders in second with Apollonia, while Brazil’s Doda De Miranda slotted into third place with Ad Cornetto K.

Ward’s victory marked his second five-star Grand Prix win in three weeks at WEF, after also topping week five’s $380,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix aboard his long-time mount, Rothchild. The two-time Olympic team gold medalist and 2015 Pan American Games individual gold medalist is grooming his young mount, HH Azur (by Thunder van de Zuuthoeve out of a dam by Sir Lui), for this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio.

Doda de Miranda and AD Cornetto K were first to go in the jump-off, finishing clear in 45.90 seconds, to finish third. O’Connor and Good Luck went next and came home with one rail down in 47.58 Smolders and Copernicus Stables’ Apollonia then went into the lead with a clear in 45.64. However, last to go, Ward and HH Azur raced through the course in an impressive 42.99 to take the winners prize.

Irish domination

Irish horses and riders were in superb form in last Friday’s $86,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship at WEF in Florida, with two Irish Sport Horses and three Irish riders finishing in the top 10.

The 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, Thornhill Kate, produced a superb display with American rider Laura Chapot to finish as runner-up behind Lorenzo De Luca.

Thornhill Kate, who is by Courage II out of a Clover Hill dam, was bred by Brendan O’Dowd from Co Clare and finished less than half-a-second behind the Italian winner. Kilkenny’s Richie Moloney took fourth place with Equinimity LLC’s Escudo I gelding Alsvid. Another Irish Sport Horse slotted into fifth. Limestone Grey (by Try-Time and bred by David Moran in Co Limerick), was produced in Ireland by Francis Connors and is now ridden by Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca.

Conor Swail finished eighth with Dillinger, while Shane Sweetnam and Cyklon took ninth spot.