Sweetnam and Wachman on form

Some notable two-star wins too on another good week

The eighth and penultimate leg of Major League Show Jumping got under way at the Kentucky International venue in Lexington and Shane Sweetnam departed with a little more lucre in his coffers thanks to some strong results at the prestigious five-star international competition.

The Castlemagner man kicked off with a fourth-place finish on Pegina VD Bisschop in Friday night’s individual speed class, their time of 67.66 less than a second off the podium in the contest won by Eduardo Pareira De Menezes (BRA) with H5 Kontador VDM, who stopped the clock in 65.68.

In Sunday’s Grand Prix, the World No 7 got the leg-up on his trusty steed, the Gizmo Partners-owned James Kann Cruz (ISH), bred in Galway by Patrick Connolly. As is his wont, the 2024 Olympic horse barely rubbed a pole and posted another double clear, and with that another Grand Prix podium. The pair (below) stopped the timers in 40.71 seconds for third, splitting American’s McLain Ward with High Star Hero, and Laura Kraut, with Una Mariposa.

It was another local favourite, Kent Farrington that took the honours, Descartes SR just having too many gears for the rest of the field to take top spot from a stacked field of 41 with a time of 39.92.

There was more five-star fare in Europe, in the princely surroundings of Fontainebleau and again, it was a high-calibre affair. Bertram Allen bagged a top-five in Friday’s Prix Normandie Drainage, a 1.55m speed class won by Austria’s Max Kühner and Elektric Blue P, with a clear in 69.12.

Enniscorthy pilot Allen and his 10-year-old left all the rails up and recorded a time of 71.66 for a juicy share of the prize money.

Tom Wachman improved upon that result in the final class of the day, the Prix Cheval TV. This was decided by very small margins with less than half a second separating the podium finishers in what was a 1.50m speed class. It was Kühner that took the honours once more, this time steering Kurt DZ to a clear in 58.52.

Petronella Andersson (SWE) claimed the silver medal with a time of 58.68 on Odina Van Klapscheut, while Wachman, from Goolds Cross, followed in close order with Obora’s Laura (below), in 58.99.

Le Lames Horses Sporting Club hosted the four-star show at Montefalco and Billy Twomey guided Ace Of Heartzs Z to a runner-up return in a 1.50m jump-off class on Friday. Kristen Vanderveen (USA) took the lion’s share of the prize money with a clear in 38.78 in the tiebreaker.

Cork-born Twomey and his grey stallion were faultless over the obstacles – only six of the 73 contestants managed double clears – and a time of 39.78 earned second position.

On Saturday, Derry native, David Simpson just missed out on a podium in a 1.45m speed class, partnering Billy Fern to fourth with a clear in 67.6, which was just six-tenths of Malin Baryard-Johnsson (SWE) and CCStud’s Liisolde in third. Ramzy Al Duhami (KSA) was victorious with Addressee, setting an unbeatable standard of 66.04.

As her uncle was performing so well on the other side of the Atlantic, Abbie Sweetnam was victorious in the 1.45m Grand Prix at Sentower Park on Sunday. Riding Kiritan, the Cork athlete proved a resounding victor, her 11-year-old posting a double clear and then blitzing a challenging pack led by none other than Belgian winning machine, Gilles Thomas, with Riesling Van T Roosakker, in the jump-off, the time of 42.24 more than two seconds better than the notable runner-up.

Conor Swail was part of a most dramatic class at the two-star show in Monterrey, where one of those rarest of events, the dead-heat unfolded on Friday. The Darragh Cross native, riding the Ollie Glancy-owned Clonterm Obolensky – bred in Ashbourne by Brian Duff – propelled his partner to a double clear in the 1.45m test and a time of 43.03 in the jump-off but that was matched to the hundredth of a second by Brazil’s Rodigro Lambre, with Take-Off Diara PS.

There was a notable double in Arouca for Kilkenny-based Molly Hughes Bravo, daughter of former Team Ireland Aga Khan Cup winner Marion Hughes and Portuguese rider Miguel Bravo and representing the country of her father. The 23-year-old and the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse bred by her parents under the Bravo Hughes banner, HHS Mercedes, followed up Friday’s triumph in the 1.45m speed class by securing Sunday’s Grand Prix at the two-star show at the Quintãs Equestrian Center.

BREEDING

CSF JAMES KANN CRUZ (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Kannan (KWPN) out of CSF Telly Cruz (ISH) by Cruising (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Patrick Connolly, Co Galway. Owner: Gizmo Partners, LLC. Rider: Shane Sweetnam (IRL).

CLONTERM OBOLENSKY (ISH) – 2016 stallion by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of She Has The Lux (ISH) by Lux Z (HANN). Breeder: Brian Duff, Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Owner: Oliver Raymond Glancy. Rider: Conor Swail (IRL).

HHS MERCEDES (ISH) – 2017 gr mare by Can Ya Makan (HOLST) out of Chester Lass (ISH) by Couletto (OLDBG). Breeder: Bravo Hughes Ltd. Owner: Bravo Hughes & Molly Hughes Bravo. Rider: Molly Hughes Bravo (POR)

PHOTOS

Shane Sweetnam: MLSJ/Meraki Creative Group

Tom Wachman: PSV/J Morel

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