AFTER three years assisting Rodrigo Pessoa, Michael Blake was appointed the High Performance show jumping director and chef d’equipe last December, charged with leading the team to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

In what was to be the most exciting year in a long time, with a team qualified for Tokyo and a strong list of riders putting their hand up, Blake only sent out two teams before the Covid-19 hit, and when the world began to open back up, another four Nations Cup took place from August to November.

From six cups in total, Ireland finished on the podium five times and won in Drammen, a lucky spot for the Irish. The team that day was a mixture of experience and youngsters with Shane Breen (Z7 Ipswich) lining out alongside Eoin McMahon (Chacon), Michael G Duffy (Lapuccino 2) and first-timer Jason Foley (Castlefield Vegas).

At just 19 years old, Foley produced a world-class double clear with the Irish Sport Horse to help Ireland to the win, and speaking afterwards, he said: “He has been a very good horse for me to have; I won the Junior Europeans in 2018 on him and then to be able to do my first senior Cup on his was special. He has done great things for me, to get me up and running and make a bit of a name for myself.”

Plenty of new horses and combinations were tested throughout the year with a total of 18 different riders used. Results included second in Wellington in February, followed by a sixth-place finish in Deeridge.

Action kicked off again in August at CSIO3* Prague, where Ireland finished third and Louth’s Mark McAuley was the standout performer, producing a double clear with Jasco vd Bisschop. Victory soon followed in Drammen, before a break to last month in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Three horses made their team debut in Vilamoura – David Simpson’s Foudre F, Arlo de Blondel (Richard Howley) and Zilton SI (Michael Duffy) – and they finished in third place. It was third again a week later in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, where McAuley and Jasco were again double clear, while Cameron Hanley stepped the Irish Sport Horse ESI Toulouse up to this level.

The draw has been announced for the 2021 season and Ireland will be contesting four Division 1 Nations Cup in La Balue, France (May 13-16th), Rotterdam, The Netherlands (June 24th-27th), Hickstead, Britain (July 21st-25th) and Dublin (August 18th-22nd).

Blake’s highs and lows

Looking back on the year, Blake acknowledged it was very different to what he expected it to be. “The year was obviously quite different than I imagined, but every set back can be turned into an opportunity. I had much more time to visit yards here in Ireland and assess the horses jumping on the national circuit, which provided excellent jumping this year.

“I also did a training clinic in the Hickstead main arena which was an excellent opportunity for our riders to experience this fantastic arena. It was also great to see the training tips series [on Horse Sport Ireland’s Facebook page] being so successful,” he told The Irish Field.

While he has led Irish teams to victory in the past as chef d’equipe, Blake will always remember his first win as High Performance director. “I suppose the high point of the season was the team victory in Drammen, especially with three of the team being members of the Young Rider Academy.

“We got to compete in six Nations Cups this year and achieved five podium finishes and used 18 different riders. We would normally compete in up to 20 Nations Cups and use up to 30 riders. We have an increasing pool of riders which is great to see for the long term development of our Nations Cup campaigns.

“From the outset in 2017 I thought it would be the best strategy going forward would be to expand the pool of riders and by creating opportunities for more riders, it gives confidence to owners to continue to invest in horses as they are more likely to get team participation.”

And if he could make a wish for 2021? “I am looking forward to the world returning to normal and getting to compete in as many team events as possible, with obviously Dublin, the European Championships and ultimately the Olympics Games being top of the list.

“My wish is for a successful year for all our athletes where we all stay healthy and our sport returns to where it was before the pandemic and, of course as you know, there are a few very important events that we are targeting!” Blake added.

Looking forward

POSITIVES are coming down the road and the sport will get off to a flying start in 2021 with top-level competition returning to WEF where they will host the next five-star in mid-February.

The dates have been announced for the Nations Cup series and Ludger Beerbaum has come to the rescue by hosting the 2021 European Championships at his facility in Riesenbeck, Germany. The Europeans were initially cancelled when the Olympic Games were rescheduled, before the National Federations, including Ireland, worked hard to get them back on the calendar.

Two major championships in one year may not suit some of the weaker nations, but Michael Blake and the large Irish pool of riders will look forward to the year with great excitement. As well as that, the newly-designed Longines EEF Series will final get off the ground in 2021 following its postponement this season.

Also announced this week was the calendar for the Global Champions Tour and League. The multi-million euro competition will kick off in Doha from March 4th to 6th and finish at the incredible setting in New York in September, while the lucrative Prague Playoffs take place from November 18th to 21st.

Interestingly, missing from the calendar for 2021 is the leg held on Miami Beach, often cited as a highlight for the riders.

So, it is all to play for next year. 2020 was the year that kept on taking, but we must hope that 2021 will give us back the best aspects of the sport we love.

Star finder

WHILE he has been maving waves on the Irish circuit since a young child in ponies, 19-year-old Kilkenny show jumper Jack Ryan burst on to the scene when moving to the UK to base himself at Shane Breen’s Hickstead. He consistently featured in these pages week after week for his winning exploits.

He is the seventh highest-earning Irish rider in 2020, according to Hippomundo’s database, taking home €118,633 in prize money from 281 starts, with a 9.6% winning rate. That is the highest percentage winning rate in the top 10 and is only bettered by Richard Howley (ranked 11th on the list) who had a 10.7% winning rate.