Two Irish in top seven at Europeans
Hughes Kennedy and Kenny end brilliant week on a high
Seamus Hughes Kennedy and Darragh Kenny completed a tremendous week for the Irish at the 38th Longines FEI European Show Jumping Championships today to finish fifth and seventh respectively in the individual standings.
Both athletes elicited foot-perfect rounds from ESI Rocky (ISH) and Eddy Blue to record outstanding finishes from a field of 89 that started out on Wednesday.
Kilkenny wunderkind Hughes Kennedy and the ten-year-old bred by his uncles Andrew and Niall at Ennisnag Stud, and that he has produced since his mid-teens for his mother Clare, did not have a jumping error in five rounds in the Crystal City of A Coruna and while one time fault left the 22-year-old frustrated, in the end, it only cost him fourth rather than a medal.
He had started the day in seventh, so his tally of one fault from his fourth and fifth rounds brought him up two places with a paltry 3.16 faults.
Kenny recorded a brilliant double clear on Carol Sollak’s Eddy Blue, who was very unfortunate to only knock one fence all week, when having a stumble in Wednesday’s speed and handiness class won by Daniel Coyle and Legacy.
Victory went to Richard Vogel (GER) with United Touch S on a staggering 0.01 faults, accumulated by virtue of finishing three-hundredths of a second off Coyle and Legacy.
Britain’s Scott Brash took silver with Hello Folie (1.08) while Gilles Thomas, a star of Belgium’s gold medal winning performance in the team event, completed the podium with Ermitage Kalone (1.37).
The Irish pair were central cogs as Michael Blake’s Underwriting Exchange unit finished of eighteen nations in the team event and they continued to shine in the white heat of elite competition.
Kenny and his 13-year-old partner had begun the day in 13th and did fantastically well to climb six spots.
The Offaly-born Olympian was under huge pressure in the first round, with only the continent’s best dozen combinations making the final round, but you would never have known it, as he and Eddy navigated the 15 jumping efforts expertly to ensure they would be involved in the business end.
“The horse jumped amazing,” said Kenny after his initial effort. “He’s in super shape and he’s jumping really well so hopefully I can just keep riding him well.
“I think I’m still too far away from a medal position. There’s a lot of people jumping clear rounds. It seems to be riding a lot easier than it walked. All the horses in this group are in top shape but I just have to do what I have to do and see what happens then.”
Hughes Kennedy and Rocky have been one of the stories of the week in Spain and the major championship debutants carried flawless over the jumps but the clock rolled inexorably on after Rocky touched down at the back of the last.
When the rider looked up, he could scarcely contain his disbelief with his hand going to the top of his helmet but with the top seven inside four faults, he and Kenny were still in contention.
The second round brought a huge course, with a number of verticals above 1.60m, and mammoth oxers including the concluding 1.70m obstacle. In all there were 12 jumping efforts with the time allowed down to 64 seconds.
Eddy Blue answered his rider’s every call at the end of a long week and so too did ESI Rocky for Hughes Kennedy, and this time within the time allowed.
They needed a favour from those in front of them however but while it didn’t come and played out as Kenny predicted, they will depart with huge pride in the efforts of their horses, who have undoubtedly earned deserved rests after their endeavours.
Making his senior championship debut, Hughes Kennedy was over the moon, although there was a natural hint of what might have been, having finished so close to medalling in both the team and medal competitions.
“I’m delighted with the result in the finish,” said Hughes Kennedy.
“Pity not to get a medal in the end after doing the full week without knocking a jump but the plan the first day, everything came off exactly the way we wanted and in the end that wasn’t quite enough to win a medal. We were expecting a few more people to have a mistake here or there.
“I was delighted with the way the horse jumped, delighted with the opportunity to be able to come out here that Michael Blake has given us to come and be on the team.
“It was unfortunate to just miss out on a medal for the teams and to also just miss out on a medal in the individual result as well but we couldn’t ask for anymore. The horse jumped brilliant, it was a great championship, especially our first senior championship.
“It was a long week and everything went according to plan and to be fifth in the end was a great result and I look forward to the future with such a special horse.”
BREEDING
ESI ROCKY (ISH) – 2015 gelding by Stakkato Gold (HANN) out of Clonaslea (BWP) by For Pleasure (HANN). Breeder: Ennisnag Stud, Co Kilkenny. Owner: Clare Hughes. Rider: Seamus Hughes Kennedy (IRL).
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