IRELAND’S Richie Moloney produced the only double-clear round of the entire competition to score a superb win the $215,000 Longines FEI World Cup qualifier at North Salem in New York last Sunday.

Kilkenny-born Moloney was riding the 12-year-old Zangersheide stallion Carrabis Z and the pair were one of just six combinations to make it into the jump-off over fellow countryman Alan Wade’s tough 1.60m course.

The four-star fixture, part of the American Gold Cup show, attracted a top-class line-up with Moloney landing the week’s biggest competition. “It was great to win here,” he said. “My horse jumped amazing. He’s been jumping great lately and it’s nice for him to get the win here.”

Forty combinations had qualified for what was the second event in the North American World Cup series.

American rider Laura Kraut had set the pace in the jump-off when she posted a four-fault score aboard Deauville S. They knocked the first part of the combination which had also caught out a number of others. A faster time than early pace-setter, Columbian Daniel Bulman and Conconcreto Sancha LS, saw Kraut move into the lead. Drawn fourth to go in the decider, Moloney followed Kraut with Equinimity LLC’s Carrabis Z and after watching the first three riders struggle for a clear, he finished the course with a foot-perfect round to take the lead.

“In the jump-off there was nobody clear before I went,” said Moloney. “I stuck to my plan until the last two jumps when I slowed down and made sure I left them up.”

COMBINATION

The penultimate combination, Peter Lutz and Robin de Ponthual, also fell victim to the combination, before the final rider, Germany’s Andre Thieme, entered the arena with Conthendrix, However they finished with eight faults to leave Moloney as a deserving winner.

Speaking about Carrabis Z, who he has been riding for four years, Moloney said: “He is getting better all the time and our partnership has really improved this summer. He is a blood, careful and scopey horse and he jumps his best when he is relaxed . He felt like he jumped even better in the jump-off on Sunday.

“I’m very happy with the win for my owners, the Mercer family who are great to work for and I am very lucky to have their support, everyone at Equinimity LLC farm works very hard to make these results possible.”?

Moloney now lies in joint third position on the North American World Cup table with 20 points and in a good position to challenge for a place at the 2016 World Cup finals in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“I suppose World Cup finals is a goal now with the win today but it wasn’t my first aim,” admitted Moloney. “I went to Word Cup finals this year in Vegas to watch and I saw how hard it was. I wasn’t sure I had a horse or two horses that it would suit. We’ll see, you never know by the time the end of April comes.”

Cork’s Shane Sweetnam, finished in eighth position after he jumped the fastest four-fault score with Chaqui Z, while Conor Swail was presented with the Michael Meller Style Award, donated in memory of Theresa Hogan.