Four-star win for Swail

AFTER finishing second in Friday night’s $145,100 CSI4* Welcome Prix at Desert International Horse Park in California with Theo 160, Co Down’s Conor Swail and the nine-year-old gelding took the win in Saturday’s $38,700 Pomponio Ranch CSI4* 1.45m Classic with a time of 32.91 seconds.

Nine pairs advanced to the jump-off after navigating Alan Wade’s track clear, but no one could catch Swail’s early lead. Australia’s Katie Laurie and McCaw MVNZ finished second with a time of 33.65 seconds.

Swail is juggling his time between California and Florida, to which he returns to this week for the five-star competition at Wellington International.

Desert Grand Prix win for Gallagher

NEWRY’s Lorcan Gallagher and his longtime partner Hunters Conlypso II won the $50,000 Whittier Trust National Grand Prix at the Desert International Horse Park last weekend, where it was an Irish one-two-three.

Over Alan Wade’s first-round course, Gallagher and fellow countryman Robert Blanchette were the only two to jump clear.

Against the clock, Blanchette had two fences down with Chardonnay, while Gallagher provided a perfect clear to win €15,000. Conor Swail ended up third with one time fault aboard Casturano.

“He’s had his little injuries here and there but it’s great to have him back at this level; he’s super consistent. Every Grand Prix here Saturday night he’s placed. Every day I get to compete him here I feel very lucky,” Gallagher said.

McGuinness on song

LUSK show jumper Aisling McGuinness has been in top form at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida, USA where she is riding at Darragh Kenny’s Oakland Stables after winning a bursary.

Riding Oakland Ventures LLC’s 12-year-old mare Gouvernante VDL, she won two Adult Amateur Jumpers classes before being crowned the division champion on Sunday. Aisling is a daughter of racehorse trainer Ado McGuinness.